


We Should Be Partners

by ChaosRocket



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Ancient Egypt, Citronshipping, M/M, Thiefshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-03-19
Packaged: 2017-12-05 19:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 54,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaosRocket/pseuds/ChaosRocket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In ancient Egypt, Marik and Bakura meet up and become partners...3,000 years later, they become partners again. Citronshipping and Thiefshipping. Follows the canon and shows what happened "behind the scenes." Advocates the cool crime of robbery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is dedicated to my friend Taemanaku, an awesome writer and also my beta for this fic!
> 
> So, this is my first shot at an ancient Egypt fic. In this story, Mahes is the pre-incarnation of Marik- as in, he's the person who will eventually be reincarnated as Hikari Marik. This story will hit upon a lot of events that happened in the series.
> 
> If Mahes seems different from Marik, it's because he hasn't been through the same traumatic life events that Marik has been through- but he will get more Marik-like as the fic goes on. My goal in this fic, as it is in all my YGO fics, is to be as IC as possible. And, as with all my fics, this fic is completely canon-compliant.

Mahes was playing around in the hayloft when he heard several people enter the barn below. He instinctively ducked down behind a pile of hay. He wasn't really supposed to be playing in here. He made sure to stay quiet, so that nobody would know he was there.

The voices of the men in the barn below floated up to him. He recognized one of the voices as belonging to Akhenaden. Akhenaden was a member of the Pharaoh's court- just like Mahes's older sister, Isis.

"As you all know, I have finally obtained the Pharaoh's permission to create the Millennium items, so that we may use them to protect our great land from the coming invaders," said Akhenaden.

Mahes's ears perked up. This sounded interesting.

"And I have good news," continued Akhenaden. "I have found a perfect place for the sacrifice."

'Sacrifice?' thought Mahes. 'What is he talking about?'

"There is a village called Kul Elna. It is full of thieves- worthless people who will not be missed," said Akhenaden.

'They're going to sacrifice human beings?' thought Mahes. He was shocked and disgusted. Thieves or not, it wasn't right. He couldn't believe that the Pharaoh would actually approve any such thing- yet Akhenaden had said that he'd gotten the Pharaoh's permission...

"I realize that the dark spell required to create the items only calls for 99 sacrifices," said Akhenaden. "However, we must leave no witnesses. We will kill them all- and that includes the women and children. I trust there are no objections."

Mahes's head was buzzing. He was absolutely appalled by what he was hearing. They were going to murder children? He found himself frozen with terror, yet he felt he had to do something. But what? Should he tell Isis? He was positive that she didn't know about this- she would never condone such a thing. But what if telling Isis put her in danger? Would the people who knew of this plan kill any disapproving person who found out? Whom could he trust?

He tried to get control of himself, and he focused his mind on the conversation below again. The men were choosing their horses, and Akhenaden was now explaining how to get to Kul Elna. Mahes made sure to pay attention to this part. Could he possibly get to Kul Elna first and warn the village of the oncoming attack? If the men were leaving right away, it wouldn't be possible...but it sounded like they were planning to have a short discussion on strategy before they departed. Luckily, it did not seem that they were going to have this discussion in the barn- Mahes could hear their voices getting farther away as they departed.

The idea of telling anyone else about this atrocity had completely left his mind- there was no time, and besides, he didn't want to tell the wrong person and get some innocent person in the palace killed as a result. He was afraid, but he knew what he had to do. As soon as he was sure the men were gone from the barn, he jumped down, got on a horse, and headed for Kul Elna. He was scared, and he didn't know if he could make it there in time, but he felt he had to try.

He had a small head start on the men. However, he was still young, and not the best rider, and he had only heard the directions to the village one time, when he had been in a state of near panic. He ended up going off course and getting slightly lost, and by the time he managed to find the village, the men had already left, and the entire village was in flames. He brought his horse to a halt and stared at the destruction before him.

The heat from the fire caused the air around the village to waver, making the entire scene look like some kind of macabre mirage. But Mahes knew that the gruesome image was a reality. He was close enough to feel the sweltering heat from the deadly flames, and he could smell the smoke that was rising from the site of the massacre. He wanted to turn away from the terrible sight, but found that he could not. Unwillingly, he imagined what it would be like to be burned alive himself, choking on thick smoke as his flesh melted away from his bones. For long moments, he simply sat on his horse, transfixed with horror.

Then he saw something that got him moving. Huddled against the side of one of the buildings was a young boy. The boy's hair was a pure silvery-white color, a stark contrast to the darkness and carnage surrounding him. The boy's body was frozen and unmoving, but Mahes could see that he was not dead- his eyes were open, and he was sitting up. Mahes quickly dismounted his steed and ran over to the boy. When he reached him, he carefully put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "Hey, can you hear me?"

But the boy did not move or respond. He merely stared ahead with unseeing eyes. He seemed to be in a state of shock.

"Come on," said Mahes. "You need to get out of here."

Still the boy did not move. Mahes crouched down and looked more closely at the boy. He noted that he was around his own age, maybe a bit younger.

"I'm Mahes," he said, trying again. "What's your name?"

Still no response. Mahes finally decided that he would have to pull the boy up and get him moving. He certainly couldn't just leave him here. It was dangerous, and besides, staring at this traumatic sight could not be good for the boy. He grabbed the boy by the arms, hauling him up to his feet. The boy did not resist, but he didn't help, either. Mahes essentially had to drag him along, away from the burning village.

It was a long time before Mahes found a place that he felt was suitable for them to stop, but they finally came to a small building that seemed to be abandoned. Carrying most of the boy's weight along with his own was not easy work, and Mahes was quite tired from the journey. But he figured it was just as well that they had come so far; the further away he got the boy from that village, the better. He was relieved to find that the building was unlocked. Mahes pulled the boy inside, and they both sat down heavily on the floor.

Mahes put his arm protectively around the other boy. The boy still showed no response; he seemed to be in a near-catatonic state.

"It'll be alright," said Mahes soothingly. He supposed that it really wouldn't be alright at all, but what else could he say?

Not knowing what else to do, Mahes finally decided it might be best if he just let the boy rest. He moved closer to the boy, trying to protect him from the cold of the night. They sat like that for quite a while, and Mahes lost track of time. He was startled when the boy suddenly jerked and looked over at him with alert eyes.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"I'm Mahes. What's your name?"

"Bakura."

"How...how are you feeling?" asked Mahes. He thought it was a stupid thing to say, but again, he wasn't sure what he could say. He'd never before tried to console someone who had just lost his entire family and everyone he knew.

Bakura did not answer Mahes's question, but he did speak again. "What happen- who did- why?"

Mahes sighed, understanding what the boy was trying to ask him. He supposed he owed the boy the truth, at least.

"The men who- who destroyed your village," Mahes started with difficulty. "They were the Pharaoh's men. They needed a human sacrifice for a spell of dark magic."

"What kind of spell?" Bakura snapped. He seemed completely alert now, and Mahes could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves.

"They said they needed to use the spell to make Millennium items...I don't know what those are, exactly, but they're supposed to help protect the palace from invaders."

"They killed all my family and friends to make...weapons?" As Bakura spoke the words, Mahes felt him flare with anger again. Bakura's ka was stronger than any he'd ever felt before- and Bakura was still just a child. How strong would his ka be when he was older? Yet somehow, Mahes was not afraid of him.

"What they did is terrible, and evil," said Mahes, pulling Bakura closer in an attempt at comfort.

Suddenly, Bakura shoved Mahes away. "Wait a minute...how is it you know all of this?"

"I live in the palace, and-"

"You live in the palace? You're one of _them_?" Bakura's anger flared again, and this time, Mahes actually was a little afraid of the power he felt coming from the other boy.

"Yes, but I don't agree with what they did!" Mahes said quickly. "And I had nothing to do with it...I'm just a kid, like you. I overheard a conversation I wasn't supposed to overhear, and that's how I found out. And that's why I came- I hoped I could beat the men here and warn your village...but I was too late..."

Bakura seemed to calm down a little, but he still looked wary. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because...because I'm never going back!" Mahes said suddenly. Only when the words were out of his mouth did he realize he'd made the monumental decision. "I can't have any part of them, not after they've done something this awful."

Bakura laughed condescendingly at Mahes. "You think you can survive on your own out here? You've lived your entire life in the palace, haven't you? All you know about is the easy life- having everything handed to you. You wouldn't last a day trying to take care of yourself."

"I'll manage," said Mahes defiantly. "Besides...I wouldn't leave you all alone out here."

Bakura's look softened for just a moment, but then he laughed again, and it was not a pleasant laugh. "I don't need you! I can take care of myself! My people have always had to take care of themselves. I was raised by thieves, and I'm already a great thief myself. But you? You know nothing of survival."

"You could teach me," said Mahes. "Teach me to become a thief like you...teach me how to make my own way."

"I think I have enough problems without having you around, expecting me to train you and take care of you."

"Then don't help me," said Mahes. "But it doesn't change the fact that I can't go back there. Or that I won't leave you alone, even if you don't help me a bit."

"You're being foolish," said Bakura. "With no one to help you, you'll be dead within days."

Mahes looked at him hard, and Bakura saw that Mahes was serious, and would not change his mind. Bakura sighed. Then his eyes lit up as if he'd suddenly thought of something.

"As I said, I'm a thief. That means I don't do anything for free. But maybe I could help you if you'll help me," said Bakura.

"Of course I'll help-" started Mahes.

"Idiot! Listen to what I'm asking for before you agree," said Bakura. "You say you live in the palace. That means you can go back and enter the palace safely. You can collect information and bring it back to me. Like a spy."

"Why do you need information?" asked Mahes, confused.

"Because I can hear them," Bakura said quietly.

"Who?"

"My people! Their spirits. If only you'd listen, you could hear them, too. Do you know why their spirits are still here? Because they were so horribly murdered that they can't move on to the afterlife. They know that they were sacrificed to make weapons- Millennium items, you said they were called? As long as the items made from their blood are being used by the evil people who did this to them, they'll be trapped here. I'm the only one left alive, and that means it falls to me to get those items, and to get revenge on the ones who did this. It's the only way to free the souls of my family and friends."

Mahes looked surprised for a moment, then thoughtful. He listened carefully, and realized that he _could_ hear the spirits. Bakura wasn't crazy or lying. The souls of his people really were trapped here.

"But what can I possibly do?" asked Mahes.

"As I said, you can easily enter the palace. In the best case scenario, you could steal some of the Millennium items and bring them back- but I don't expect that would truly be possible. I'm smart enough to know that I'm still young and small, and the time for my vengeance is not yet at hand. But if you could get information- as much information as possible on the Millennium items and what they do- then that information could help me in the future when I'm ready to make an assault on the palace. Someday, I'll go in there and get the items back, and get revenge on the ones who did this to my village."

"I'll do it," said Mahes. He said it immediately, as if he didn't even need time to think about it.

Bakura laughed at him again. "Do you understand what you're risking? What you're giving up? If you're caught, you would be executed. Even if you get away clean, you'll be an outlaw for the rest of your life. A traitor. You won't ever be able to go home. You'll be giving up all the luxury of life in the palace to live the hard life out here with me. It will always be dangerous and harsh. Do you get that?"

Mahes thought about it. He would be giving up a lot- that was true. And it would be dangerous- that was true, too. But did he have any choice? His conscience said no.

"I get it," said Mahes. "I just...it's the right thing to do, that's all. I already told you that I can't go back there and be loyal to the Pharaoh, knowing what I know. And helping you get justice for your people- well, as I said, it's the right thing to do."

Bakura looked at Mahes as if he were the most ridiculous person he'd ever had the misfortune of meeting. "You really must be serious when you say you condemn what the Pharaoh and his men have done. Are you sure you're not too righteous to help out a thief like me?"

"You're a thief- they're murderers who slaughtered innocents to make weapons. There's a huge difference between those things. Besides, you're just a kid like me- trying to do the right thing for your people, just like I'm trying to do the right thing," said Mahes.

"How do I know this isn't all a trick?" asked Bakura, suddenly suspicious again. "What if you run back to that palace and tell them where I am, so they can come and finish me off too?"

"I would never do that!" protested Mahes. "How can I prove it to you?"

Bakura thought for a moment. "Well, you've lived in the palace your whole life. You don't know about the Millennium items yet, but I bet you already know some things that can help me. Tell me the best way to enter the palace for an assault. Tell me what kind of defenses they have. Tell me everything you know."

So Mahes did. Bakura nodded along as he spoke. Mahes didn't know too much, since he was only a kid, but he did know some things, and Bakura thought he seemed to be truthful. And if Mahes could really get him the information on the Millennium items- well, that could certainly prove to be extremely useful. Maybe it was worth the risk of trusting him.

"Alright," said Bakura finally. "You go back to the palace, get the information, and meet me back here as soon as you can. If you keep your word, and bring back something useful, then I'll do what you asked- I'll stay with you and help you to survive. And you can trust me to keep my end of the deal. Once you come back here with the information, we're partners from then on."

"Partners," confirmed Mahes.

Bakura nodded. He thought this kid must really be crazy.

"I don't know how long it will take me," said Mahes. "And...I still don't like leaving you all alone out here...not after what happened."

"I may be young, but I'm not a helpless child! I told you, I can take care of myself!" Bakura sounded offended, but Mahes thought he heard another emotion underneath that.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," said Mahes.

"I'll need to go out often to steal food and other necessary things. I'll check back here for you occasionally, whenever I get the chance," said Bakura.

Mahes nodded as he got up to leave. Then he suddenly pulled Bakura into a hug. Bakura shoved him away. "Just go! And don't you dare get yourself killed!"


	2. Chapter 2

Mahes had been gone for a long time. Ever since Mahes had walked out the door of the abandoned building, Bakura had wondered whether he'd ever really come back. The longer Mahes was gone, the more Bakura wondered. It had never been in Bakura's nature to be a trusting person. And after what had happened to his village, he was even less inclined to trust anyone.

Bakura often thought that once Mahes was back in the palace, it wouldn't be difficult for him to slip back into the comfortable, familiar life of ease and indolency that he was used to. When you never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, it's easy to forget about all those who do have to worry about that. Rich people managed to forget about the less fortunate all the time- Bakura's elders had taught him that much. Surrounded by luxury, Mahes would never want for anything. In that environment, it wouldn't be hard for him to push all the unpleasant things from his mind. Why would he want to think of Bakura, and his plight, and the horrible thing that had happened to his village, when he could distract himself with riches and power and living the easy life?

Luckily for Bakura, he was managing to survive on his own. It wasn't always easy, but he hadn't been lying about being a good thief. He wasn't the best- not yet- but he was certainly adept for a child of his age. He would go to the market and steal coins from the shoppers, and small items from the vendors. When he'd stolen enough coins, he would go to another market and purchase larger items that he needed. And if he had to go to bed hungry sometimes, so what? He was managing. Since Mahes had left, he'd even found a much better place to stay than the old, broken-down building where Mahes had first taken him. His new hideout was already starting to fill up with the things he'd acquired by stealing from all those people who had been born into circumstances far more fortunate than his own.

He often thought that he should just stay in his hideout, and forget about going back to the old building to check and see if Mahes had returned. There was no sane reason for the boy to return to him and choose to live the life of a vagabond and an outlaw when he could be relaxing in the safety of the palace.

Yet, still...if Mahes did return, he would be bringing valuable information with him. And Bakura needed that information. So maybe it was worth it to continue to check the abandoned building, just every once in a while. And he told himself that the reason he felt disappointed every time he walked into the building and found it empty certainly wasn't because he was lonely and longed for companionship- he just needed that information. He may have lost all his friends and family, but he knew now that he could make it on his own. He didn't need that other boy- but he did need the information that he might bring. So he waited, and hoped.

* * *

  
Once back in the palace, Mahes found himself in the same predicament that he'd been in when he'd first found out about the terrible plan to slaughter everyone in Bakura's village- he couldn't tell anyone what he knew, because he didn't know whom he could trust. Even asking too many questions might be dangerous- not just for him, but for anyone else who didn't know the awful secret of how the items were created. He still felt he could not burden his sister with what he'd witnessed, because he knew that she would speak out against the atrocity, and then she might incur the wrath of those who had approved of the dark spell that was used to create the Millennium items.

Since being back in the palace, Mahes learned that each member of the Pharaoh's court held a Millennium item- and that included his sister. Occasionally, the dark thought crossed his mind that maybe Isis did know about the evil spell that was used to make the items- was it possible that he didn't know his sister as well he thought he did? It seemed unlikely, and yet...he had also believed that the Pharaoh would never agree to the slaughtering an entire village. But the Pharaoh apparently had approved the entire thing. Akhenaden had said so.

Because he didn't know whom he could trust, he became withdrawn, and he rarely interacted with the others in the palace. He hadn't even spoken to his sister very much since he'd gotten back. When he first came back, Isis had greeted him with worry, wondering where he'd been. He claimed that he'd gone out riding and lost his way, and that it had taken him a while to find his way back. Isis seemed totally unsuspicious of his story- she apparently had other things to worry about at the moment. It seemed that everyone else did, as well- nobody aside from Isis had noticed his overnight absence at all.

As time went on, feelings of isolation and loneliness pressed down on Mahes. He had no idea how to go about getting the information that he needed to bring back to Bakura. He had found out that the Millennium items had been used to repel the invaders, just as Akhenaden and the Pharaoh had planned. From that, he could ascertain that the items held great power. But he had not actually been able to witness the items in use, so he still didn't really know what they did.

For a long time, he wandered around in a daze, feeling useless, confused and alone. These feelings made him wonder if he could possibly be successful in his promised task- but they also cemented his notion that he could not permanently stay in this palace, under the rule of people who had condoned the horrors that were required to create the Millennium items.

He did not sleep well. He would toss and turn, dreaming of the image of the burning village, of Bakura out there all alone, a child who had lost all he'd ever known. He dreamed of things he hadn't actually witnessed himself- babies being murdered, mothers burning alive, people screaming for help, terrified children calling for their parents. In his nightmares, charred faces stared at him with eyeless sockets, and people bathed in blood screamed at him and shambled towards him, arms outstretched, reaching for him.

One night, after waking up in a cold sweat from another nightmare, he decided he had to do something. He had been keeping his eyes and ears open for any information about the Millennium items, but this obviously hadn't been working- no one was going to divulge details about the items in front of a small boy such as himself. If he intended to become a thief alongside Bakura, then he needed to start acting like one right now. He had to do something aside from just wandering around, hoping something would fall into his lap. He needed to learn to be stealthy- to hear things he wasn't supposed to hear, and get into places where he wasn't supposed to go.

He realized that following Akhenaden would be his best bet. It was Akhenaden who had cast the dark spell, so he must have the information that Mahes needed. He knew that trying to spy on Akhenaden would be dangerous- Akhenaden had obviously proven himself to be a very dangerous person indeed. But Mahes had told Bakura that he was ready to live a life of taking risks. Now he had to prove it.

It was lucky for him that he was small and easily able to hide, and that Akhenaden had no reason to suspect any ill intent from him. Surreptitiously following Akhenaden around didn't turn out to be as hard as he'd thought it would be. However, it also didn't seem to be as useful as he'd hoped. Akhenaden didn't talk much about the Millennium items, at least not in detail. Mahes did pick up a few bits of information here and there, but it wasn't anywhere near enough.

Finally, something happened that Mahes hoped might be a breakthrough for him. He had followed Akhenaden down into a part of the palace that he'd never even known existed. He had observed him taking out a key, unlocking a door, and walking into a room. Before Akhenaden closed the door behind him, Mahes saw a little of what was inside. Many scrolls and books were piled up, along with ingredients and equipment that Mahes recognized as things that were used in the creation of spells. He assumed that, somewhere in that room, in one of the books or on one of the scrolls, was the spell used to create the Millennium items. And with any luck, detailed information about the items would be written along with the spell.

Mahes knew that it would be suicide to try to get into the room while Akhenaden was still inside, so he fled quickly back to his own bedroom. He would come back later, during the night while everyone was asleep, and search through the room. The only problem was the fact that the room was obviously kept locked- he would need to steal the key. That meant that he would need to sneak into Akhenaden's room at night, take the key, and then go back to the room with all of the spells. It would be dangerous, but it was a risk he was willing to take. He decided to carry out his plan that very night- he had already been here too long, and there was no more time to waste.

He was nervous and fidgety all day, worrying about what he was planning to do. It now occurred to him to wonder if anyone had noticed that his recent behavior was suspicious- he'd been doing a lot of sneaking around, and he'd isolated himself from contact with others in a way he never had before. Then he reasoned that it was too late to concern himself with such worries now. If all went according to plan, he'd be gone from the palace after tonight, and he wouldn't be returning.

Late that night, once Mahes was sure that everyone in the palace would be asleep, he set out for Akhenaden's room. It was lucky for him that Akhenaden did not sleep behind a locked door- apparently he believed he did not have to fear being attacked during the night. 'Why would anyone here fear anything, when they have those Millennium items to repel any of their enemies who would try to get into the palace?' Mahes thought with a hint of malice.

Mahes sneaked into Akhenaden's room and began searching for the key. Every time Akhenaden made a small noise or movement, Mahes felt his heart jump into his throat. But Akhenaden did not wake up, so Mahes continued his search, his hands shaking as he rifled through Akhenaden's possessions. Mahes had no idea where Akhenaden would keep his keys. He looked every place in the room and still found nothing. With dismay, it occurred to him that Akhenaden may keep his keys on his body at all times, even when he was asleep.

Steeling himself, he went over to the sleeping form, and began to check the pockets. He was terrified that Akhenaden would wake up- how could he possibly explain this? It was scary, and somehow disgusting, just to be near the man whom he knew had ordered the slaughter of an entire village. Filled with both fear and revulsion, he forced himself to continue looking through Akhenaden's pockets, being very careful so as to disturb him as little as possible. Finally, his fingers touched upon cold metal. He clutched the object in his hand and pulled out a set of keys. He didn't know which key was the right one, so he just took them all, and then exited the room as quickly and quietly as he could. Once as he was outside the room, he leaned against the wall, giving himself a moment to calm down. But his task was far from over, so he soon compelled himself to get moving again.

He made his way down to the room that housed the spells. He tried several keys until finally one worked, and he let himself in, closing the door behind him. There were many scrolls and books in the room, and he realized that it might take a long time to find the correct one- if it was here at all. But where else would it be? So he began his search.

After hours of searching, a book caught his eye. It was brown and aged-looking, covered with golden symbols. He went over to it and picked it up, recoiling a little at the strange, rotting smell that emanated from it. It seemed that the book was bound in cracked leather, but it wasn't like any sort of leather he'd ever touched- something about it felt _wrong_ , and it made his skin crawl.

Cautiously, he opened the book to a random page, and read, "That is not dead which can eternal lie...." And he violently threw the book across the room in what seemed to be an irrational fit of horror and repulsion. Something told him that he would go mad if he read too much from that book.

Then he noticed that a piece of paper had fluttered out of the book when he'd thrown it. It must have been pressed between the book's pages. Though he didn't want to, he reached out and grabbed the piece of paper. He unfolded it and began to read. According to what he read, it was a translation of one of the spells from that awful book, and it was the spell used to create the Millennium items. Looking over it quickly, he saw that it did indeed give information about the properties and powers of the items that it was meant to create. Luckily, reading the translation didn't give him the same feeling of impending madness that reading from the book had. But still, he didn't have time to study it in detail- he needed to return the keys to Akhenaden before he woke up. So he rolled the piece of paper into a scroll, pocketed it, and left the room, making sure to lock the door behind him. He then headed back up to the main part of the palace.

He reached Akhenaden's room and slipped inside, silently replacing the keys in the pocket where he'd found them. As he exited the room, carefully closing the door, he thanked Ra that his luck had held and that Akhenaden had not woken up at all. He realized that it would be best if he left the palace as soon as possible. He didn't want to be here when or if someone discovered that the paper he'd stolen was missing.

It was still night, but just barely- dawn would be coming soon. He knew that the guards outside the palace would find it suspicious for him to be leaving under the cover of night, so he forced himself to go back to his own room and wait until the sun came up. Once day broke, he could simply pretend that he was going outside to play.

As he sat in his room, waiting for the sun to rise, his mind turned to thoughts of all that he was giving up. He felt a stab of pain in his heart as he thought of how he'd be leaving his sister, his friends, and everyone else he'd come to know during his life in the palace. He knew that he was giving up an easy life for a life that would be difficult and dangerous. Yet his conviction did not waver- this was the right thing to do. And that wasn't the only reason he had to do it. He also had to do it for the little boy who was now all alone out there. He hoped desperately that Bakura was still alright- that he hadn't just been bragging when he'd said he was a good enough thief to survive on his own.

When the morning light finally came into the sky, he left the palace walls for the last time, got on a horse, and headed off in the direction of Kul Elna, and the abandoned building beyond where he was to meet Bakura.

When Mahes reached the building, he quickly dismounted and went inside. The building was completely empty- there was no furniture or food or clothing, or anything to suggest that anyone was living here. Had Bakura found somewhere else to stay? Or was he- but Mahes didn't want to think of that possibility. He remembered that Bakura had said that he would be out often, and that he would check back here "occasionally" to see if Mahes had returned. Mahes now wondered exactly how often Bakura had meant when he'd said "occasionally." Assuming that Bakura was still alright, Mahes hoped that Bakura had not given up on coming back here to check for his presence.

Mahes now sunk down onto the bare floor. He was incredibly tired- of course he was, since he hadn't gotten any sleep at all the night before. He was also hungry, because he hadn't eaten since dinner the previous evening. He wondered now if he should have brought some sort of food or supplies along with him. But he had been on the verge of panic and anxious to make his escape, and hadn't thought of such things. It was no use lamenting it now. It would be best just to get some rest. For the first time in his life, he laid down to go to sleep on a hard floor instead of in a soft, safe bed.

* * *

  
Mahes awoke to the sound of a door slamming. He opened his eyes to see Bakura standing before him with a look of surprise on his face.

"Where have you been, partner?" asked Bakura.

Partner. That's right- Mahes had kept his promise and come back, so they were partners now.

"You didn't think I'd come back, did you?" asked Mahes, who had noticed how surprised Bakura looked to see him.

"No, I didn't," said Bakura flatly. "Did you find any good information?"

Mahes confirmed that he had. He stood up pulled the scroll from his robes, then extended his hand to offer the scroll to Bakura. Bakura snatched the scroll and began to look over the it, and for a moment, his gray eyes seemed to blaze crimson. When he'd seen enough, his expression cleared, and he folded the scroll and tucked it away inside his own robes, which were as red as his eyes had been moments ago.

"Good work. This is just what I needed," said Bakura, who now appeared quite satisfied. "But what took you so long? Something exciting must have happened considering you were gone all this time. Tell me the tales of your adventures."

Mahes answered Bakura's question earnestly, telling him of all that had happened to him while he was in the palace. For his part, Bakura listened with interest to Mahes's story of everything he'd done since he'd last parted from Bakura. When Mahes was through talking, Bakura informed him that he had found a good hideout and was living there now.

"Is there food there?" asked Mahes. "I'm starved!"

Bakura laughed, and for the first time since Mahes had met him, his laugh seemed to be in good humor.

"Yes, there's food," said Bakura. "Come on now. I'll take you to your new home."


	3. Chapter 3

When they got back to the hideout, Mahes voraciously attacked the food that Bakura offered him. Eventually, Bakura had to stop him, reminding him testily that there wasn't an unlimited amount of food here, as there had been in the palace. Mahes looked slightly embarrassed, but then turned his attention to his surroundings, inspecting the place where he would now be living.

It seemed that Bakura had managed to acquire most of the essential things, if only in small amounts: he had food, bathing oils, and some clothing. There were even a few pieces of jewelry lying about, as well as a small straw-filled mattress over in the corner. Mahes had to admit that Bakura had been honest when he'd said that he was a decent thief.

Mahes felt a jolt go through him at the sudden realization that he would soon be expected to steal these sorts of things himself.

As if reading his mind, Bakura asked, "So, when do you want to go out to the market and learn how to be a thief?"

Mahes jumped a little at Bakura's question. "Um...whenever you think would be best, I guess..."

"Don't tell me you're scared," said Bakura mockingly.

"A little," admitted Mahes. He didn't have the same sort of pride that Bakura had. "But I won't back out or anything," he continued, wanting to reassure Bakura.

Bakura nodded stiffly, seeming to accept this.

"Well, I might as well start teaching you now," Bakura said. "No sense in waiting."

Mahes swallowed hard, but the look on his face was resolute.

"Come here," said Bakura, picking up a small container.

Mahes looked at him questioningly.

"The kohl under your eyes is all smudged; it's practically gone," explained Bakura. "You know you need kohl under your eyes, since we'll be going out in the sun. I don't have a mirror, so I'll put it on for you."

"Oh! Of course," Mahes said, understanding. He walked over to Bakura obediently and closed his eyes. Bakura wiped the stray kohl from Mahes' face, and then dipped a stick of wood into the container and used it to gently paint black lines underneath Mahes' eyes.

When Bakura was through, Mahes opened his eyes and asked, "Would you like me to do the same for you?"

Bakura already had kohl under his eyes, but it didn't look very pretty; it was obvious he'd done it without the aid of a mirror. Bakura nodded and handed the container to Mahes, and Mahes did for Bakura what Bakura had just done for him. When Mahes was finished, he set the container of kohl back in its place and admired his work.

Bakura opened his eyes. "Ready?" he asked.

"Guess so," said Mahes, the nervousness evident in his voice.

Surprisingly, Bakura reached out and grasped Mahes' hand, squeezing it briefly in reassurance. Before Mahes could even react, Bakura's hand was already gone, and then Bakura quickly turned to head outside. Mahes followed without question.

Neither spoke as they walked through the desert heat. Mahes was really beginning to wish that he'd remembered to tie up his horse when he'd first come back to find Bakura. As it was, the horse was gone, so the two had no choice but to walk. The journey was long and tiresome, and as they continued to traverse the desert, Mahes' mind began to turn to darker thoughts. The longer they walked, the more nervous Mahes felt about what he was going to have to do. His head began to fill with fear and worry. He played out various possible scenarios in his mind, and somehow, none of them turned out well for him. He thought of what they'd do to him if he were caught and shuddered violently.

When they finally neared their destination, Bakura stopped abruptly just outside of the market. Still lost in thought, Mahes almost bumped right into Bakura's back.

Bakura turned to him and said, "Alright, we're going in. Just act normal. Like you're shopping."

Mahes nodded and followed Bakura into the marketplace. Soon, the two began walking side by side. Mahes attempted to act natural, while Bakura seemed to be looking for something. Bakura constantly glanced back and forth, taking in the thick crowd of colorfully-dressed shoppers and the tables that were set out with all different sorts of wares.

"There!" said Bakura finally, stopping again and focusing his eyes on something. "See that merchant selling fish? That's what we need. You won't be getting any of that fancy meat like you got in the palace. Fish is where we get our protein. Now, just wait until he's distracted..."

"You...you want me to go up and steal from a vendor? Right away?" asked Mahes. He couldn't hide his apprehension.

"Oh, don't be a baby," said Bakura. "You said you wanted to be a thief."

"Oh...OK..." Mahes said. But he was visibly shaking with fear.

Bakura sighed in exasperation. "Oh, fine, I'll show you how it's done. It will be a demonstration."

Mahes relaxed, but only slightly. Somehow, he feared for Bakura getting caught almost as much as he feared for himself. He watched nervously as Bakura walked towards the vendor. As he got closer, he began to crouch, keeping low to the ground so that he would be even less noticeable among the taller adults surrounding him. When he saw that the merchant was turned away and busy with a customer, Bakura deftly reached out and grabbed a fish from the table, stuffing it into his robes. He turned and walked casually back towards Mahes, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Wow," said Mahes, with undisguised admiration.

Bakura couldn't help but smile. "That's your demonstration. Now you try. Come on."

Mahes resumed following Bakura, and the two walked on until Bakura saw something else that caught his eye.

"Grapes!" said Bakura in excitement, as he spotted a merchant selling produce. "Those are the best. It's your turn. Just do what I did."

Mahes sucked in a deep breath. Every instinct in his body told him to stop, to walk away from all of this. But when he turned and looked into Bakura's eyes, his heart told him that he had no choice. It was time to be brave.

He mimicked Bakura's earlier actions as best he could, crouching down and sneaking towards the vendor's table. It seemed that the sun was beating down on his skin hotter than it ever had, and he felt the sweat trickling down his face. His heart trip-hammered in his chest, and eventually all the sounds around him seemed to fade until he could only hear his own racing heart.

Still, he made himself approach the edge of the table. Had the merchant noticed him? He didn't know. He only knew that he desperately wished that this was already over, whichever way it went. So the instant he saw the merchant turn away to speak to someone, he carelessly reached out and grabbed a bunch of grapes. Just as he was turning to sneak away, he heard the cry.

"Hey! Kid! What in Ra's name are you doing?"

The words hit him like lightning coursing through his body. For a moment, he felt frozen in place. Then he saw that the merchant was about to give chase, and he snapped to. He instinctively broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could, his feet pounding against the ground and throwing up sprays of sand in his wake.

Behind him, he heard a yelp of distress followed by a thud, but he paid no attention. Where was Bakura? He didn't see him anywhere. Had he abandoned him when the merchant had started chasing him? The thought brought a sinking feeling to his stomach, but he couldn't concentrate on that at the moment. Panic drove him on, and he dodged between the adults in the marketplace, hoping to become lost in the crowd.

Long after any sounds of pursuit had ceased, he continued to run, drawing more attention to himself than necessary. Grownups wondered why a child was running at full speed, knocking into them and frantically pushing through the throng of shoppers. Many of the adults made sounds of protest, but they had their own business to attend to, and dismissed him as an errant miscreant that was none of their concern.

Eventually, Mahes managed to reach the edge of the marketplace, but still he did not stop. He ran on until he could run no more, and then he finally collapsed to his knees, panting and out of breath. He didn't even know how long he had been there when he felt a light smack on the back of his head.

"Idiot," he heard Bakura hiss. "You almost got caught!"

"Bakura!" he yelled gratefully. With abandon, he jumped up and caught Bakura in a hug.

Bakura shoved him away. "I hope you know that I saved your ass back there," he said.

"What? But I didn't see you anywhere. I thought you might have left me," said Mahes.

"You thought I abandoned you?" Bakura said in accusatory voice. Was that hurt in his tone?

"I'm sorry...I should have known you wouldn't," said Mahes. "But then, where have you been, partner? You say you saved me. How did you do it? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

"Fuck," said Bakura. "When I saw that merchant coming after you, I threw myself down in front of him and he tripped over me. He thought I was just some dumb kid who had fallen down on accident. By the time he managed to get up, you were long gone."

"Oh...oh," said Mahes, eyes downcast.

"Screw you, Mahes," said Bakura vehemently. "I don't make many promises, but when I do, I keep them. I told you I'd stick with you and help you survive if you brought me that information. You really thought I'd leave you because of one mishap, on your very first try at stealing?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Mahes. But Bakura was already stalking away.

Mahes ran to catch up with him. He soon reached Bakura and began walking by his side. Bakura did not acknowledge him, but he didn't stop him from following him, either. It was a long walk back to the hideout, and neither spoke a word.

When they finally reached the entrance to Bakura's place of residence, Mahes broke the silence. "Can...can I come in?" he asked.

"If you want," said Bakura, shrugging.

And so Mahes followed him inside. Bakura collapsed on the mattress, and Mahes sat down on the floor across from him.

"I'm really sorry," Mahes repeated. "I was just scared, and I'd never done anything like that before. I didn't even know what I was thinking..."

Bakura sighed, crossing his arms behind his head as he laid down fully on the mattress.

"But look!" said Mahes, pulling the grapes out of his robe. "I got away with what I stole."

"So did I," said Bakura, taking the fish out of his pocket. "And with much less trouble than you, I might add."

"Well...obviously, you're a better thief than me. You've had much more experience."

Bakura threw the fish at Mahes. "Better cook this before it goes bad," he said.

Mahes grasped at the slippery fish, finally managing to get hold of it. Then he looked at it in confusion. He really had no idea what to do with it.

"Hell, you don't even know how to cook, do you?" said Bakura in exasperation.

Mahes shook his head slowly.

"Well, that's what life in the palace will do to a person," said Bakura, almost talking to himself. "Don't know how to do a damn thing for yourself..."

"Sorry," said Mahes again.

"Oh, quit feeling so fucking sorry for yourself," said Bakura. "I'll show you how to do it. Might as well get used to showing you how to take care of yourself. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of that."

Mahes cast his eyes downwards, but in some sense, he was pleased. He understood that Bakura's words meant that he still expected Mahes to be staying with him indefinitely.

Bakura rose and went to get a knife. He showed Mahes how to gut a fish. He noticed Mahes wincing in disgust and he cut the fish open and discarded its innards, but he didn't comment on it. When the fish was clean, Bakura proceeded to show him how to make a fire and cook the fish over it. Mahes made sure to pay close attention to Bakura's instruction.

But once their meal was done cooking, all other thoughts left Mahes' mind, and he tore into his portion of the fish. He suddenly realized how much better food tasted when it was hard-won, and when you didn't know where your next meal was coming from.

Once the fish was gone, and the fire was put out, Mahes offered up the grapes that he'd managed to get away with.

"Dessert?" he asked.

Bakura smiled a little. "Well, I couldn't say no."

On impulse, Mahes pulled a grape from the bunch and stuffed it into Bakura's mouth with his fingers. Bakura closed his eyes for just a moment, sucking the grape away from Mahes' hand. Mahes pulled his fingers back as Bakura chewed contentedly.

"I'm really sorry," said Mahes yet again. "I was just scared..."

"Oh, quit it," said Bakura. "I know, it was your first time, you weren't in your right mind. Let's just forget about it."

Grateful, Mahes pulled another grape from the bunch and fed it to Bakura.

"Really, you didn't do so badly for your first time," Bakura admitted, once he swallowed the second grape. "You did get away with what you stole, after all."

"Only with your help," said Mahes, feeding Bakura another grape. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Bakura as he chewed. He reached out and pulled off a grape himself, and slid it into Mahes' mouth.

"Mm," Mahes intoned, sucking on Bakura's fingers slightly. Bakura shuddered a bit.

The two continued feeding each other in this way until all the grapes were gone. By the time they were done, dusk was falling, and the Egyptian night was getting chilly.

Full and tired, Bakura moved back onto the mattress and curled up. Mahes looked at him questioningly, unsure of what to do.

"It gets cold out here in the desert at night," Bakura said. "Not like your nice, warm little palace. You can...you can sleep next to me. It'll be warmer for me, and more comfortable for you than the floor."

Mahes didn't hesitate to slide onto the mattress next to Bakura. He snuggled into him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

"What are you..." started Bakura.

"Just keeping you warm, partner," said Mahes quietly.

Bakura seemed to accept this. He closed his eyes, and allowed Mahes to cuddle closer.

"Goodnight...partner," whispered Bakura.


	4. Chapter 4

As Mahes woke up, the realization slowly dawned that Bakura was not next to him in bed, as he always had been every morning for the last several months. As Mahes' eyes came into focus, he saw that Bakura was on the other side of the room, getting dressed.

"What are you doing?" asked Mahes groggily. "It's practically still the middle of the night."

"Couldn't really sleep," replied Bakura casually. "Thought I'd go out to steal. By the time I manage to walk to the market, it'll be daytime."

Mahes began to heft himself up with effort.

"I didn't say you had to go," said Bakura, seeing that Mahes was intending to get up. "It's early, and you're obviously tired. Just stay here and sleep. By tonight, I'll be back with some good stuff. We're running low on supplies, you know."

"No, really, I don't mind coming with you," Mahes insisted.

"That wouldn't be a good idea," said Bakura. "You're already tired, and you'd be even more tired after that long walk to the market. I've taught you well over these last several months, but you still have a lot to learn about thieving. You don't want to try to steal when your senses are impaired in any way- such as from tiredness. That's just a recipe for getting caught. You'd be a liability to both of us."

"But-" Mahes started, still apparently determined to argue.

"Don't worry, Mahes, you'll be fine here by yourself," said Bakura. "As I said, I've taught you well. You know how to cook, and where to get water. You can survive on your own for one day."

"Of course I can!" said Mahes. "That isn't the point!"

"There isn't some law that we have to be together every minute of every day, is there?" asked Bakura rhetorically.

Mahes looked slightly abashed.

Seeing that Mahes apparently didn't intend to debate the issue any longer, Bakura quickly gathered some of his things and then began heading out. For some reason, he felt the need to reassure Mahes again. "I won't be gone long. You'll be fine." With that, Bakura was gone.

Mahes flopped back down onto the bed. Bakura could be so stubborn and insensitive sometimes! Didn't Bakura think he could handle himself while stealing? Over the last several months, he'd become quite good at stealing small items from the merchants' tables. Sure, in the beginning, he'd had another few close scrapes- which Bakura had had to bail him out of- but that never happened anymore. Now he stole with confidence, and it had been quite a while since he'd gotten himself into any kind of real trouble.

Since Mahes had mastered the skill of lifting items from the merchants, Bakura had lately been teaching him how to pick pockets. At this, he wasn't yet anywhere near perfect. But he'd already gotten away with stealing silver pieces from shoppers a few times. And Mahes himself had come up with a routine to use that would keep him from being accused of thievery when he messed up and the shopper noticed him.

He only attempted to steal money from women. If the woman noticed a tug on her bag of silver pieces and turned around, he would feign shock and exclaim, "Oh! You're not my mother!" Sometimes, the woman would become concerned and want to help the supposedly lost child look for his parents. In these cases, Mahes would at first pretend to be grateful for the help, and then he would suddenly point in the opposite direction and yell, "Oh, there she is! I'm sure of it!" and run off. Most of the time, though, the women would simply give him a look of annoyance and be on their way. Mahes darkly thought that this was because he only stole from women who were obviously well-off, and rich people were less likely to care about helping a child who was apparently in need of assistance- maybe Bakura's views about the wealthy were rubbing off on him.

Either way, this technique had never failed to get him off the hook when he was noticed in his attempts to pick pockets. The first time Bakura had seen him put on the act, he had been shocked that it actually worked. After Bakura had seen Mahes dodge accusations in this way several times, he commented that the routine never would have worked if it weren't for the fact that Mahes was such a pretty child. This had caused Mahes to become flustered, and Bakura to quickly look away.

Mahes thought of these things as he tossed and turned in bed. Bakura really should trust his thieving abilities by now! There was no reason to leave him behind! Mahes sighed and turned over onto his stomach. He supposed that lying around feeling indignant wouldn't do him any good- Bakura was already gone, and he was alone for the day. He might as well try to get some sleep. It was still in the early hours of the morning, and Bakura had been correct about him being tired. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing thoughts. By the time he finally fell asleep, the first rays of light were already piercing the sky outside.

When Mahes awoke for the second time, Bakura still wasn't back. Of course, he hadn't expected him to be. It was still daylight, and the trek to the market and back was an all-day venture when going on foot. Bakura wouldn't be home until near nightfall at the earliest.

Mahes stretched, then got up to look outside. The sun was high in the sky, and he judged that it was early afternoon by now. He sighed and went back inside to fix himself something to eat. He supposed he had better cook the last of the fish before it went bad.

By now, this was not a difficult task for him, and he no longer felt squeamish when he cut open a fish. He cleaned, cooked, and ate the fish in short order. Once he had cleaned up the mess from his meal, he leaned back, his arms crossed behind his head. He had to admit that it was awfully boring to be alone all day without Bakura. He was not used to being totally alone like this. In the palace, there had always been people close by. And this was the first time Bakura had gone out on his own since they'd become partners.

Mahes tried to find ways to fill up his day. There was an oasis fairly nearby where he and Bakura usually went to bathe and get drinking water, so he eventually went to perform those tasks. By the time he got back, he was starting to get hungry again, so he cut up some fruit and ate it.

Done with his second meal of the day, Mahes sighed again. There was truly nothing to do around here. As the hours dragged on, Mahes began eying the tobacco and the clay pipe that Bakura had stolen recently. He had never tried smoking tobacco before. He figured that now might be a good time, considering he had nothing else to do. Maybe it would provide him with some distraction. He just had to put the tobacco into the pipe, and strike a fire to light it...

He inhaled. The effect was almost instant. Dizziness, and a limpness in his limbs. He flopped down onto the floor. He pulled the smoke into his lungs a second time, and felt the relaxation of every muscle in his body. It was ecstasy.

His head spun, and his skin buzzed. The smoke burned his throat on the way down, but it was a pleasant, comforting, tingly sensation. He thought that he could get to like this. He smoked the pipe until the tobacco was burnt out. Once he was through, it didn't take long for the watery feeling in his extremities to dissipate. But he still felt more relaxed overall. He leaned his head back. It was good that Bakura had managed to steal this rare plant...

And where was Bakura, anyways? Mahes pulled himself up to step outside and check the sky. It was full dark by now. That meant that Bakura should be returning any time.

But he didn't. Hours passed, and still Bakura did not return. Mahes began pacing their home, back and forth, back and forth. He already craved more tobacco, so he got some for himself. Tobacco was difficult to come by- it was not native to their country and came from across the ocean- and Mahes thought that Bakura wouldn't like him using up so much of it. But Bakura wasn't here to complain, was he?

Mahes didn't even know whether to be angry or worried. Had Bakura stayed out this long on purpose, or had something...happened? He tried to put that thought out of his head, but it wouldn't leave. Why did Bakura have to go off without him?

He supposed he should try to sleep, but he knew there was no way that he could. He was far too wired. And scared. He had no trouble admitting that to himself. So, as the night wore on, he continued to pace, and smoke. By the time the sun rose, all the tobacco was gone, and Mahes hadn't slept a bit. And still, Bakura had not come back. The bright panic blossoming in his chest warred with his exhaustion. He felt that he should at least stop wearing himself out by constantly pacing, but he didn't think he could sit still. If Bakura was doing this on purpose...

"Ah, you're still awake?"

Mahes heard the sound of Bakura's voice, relief flooding through his body in a way that felt so similar to his very first hit of tobacco. Then he turned to look, and saw that blood was flowing from underneath Bakura's right eye.

Mahes ran to him and pulled him into a crushing hug. "Where- where have you been, partner?"

"You didn't think I'd left you, did you?" asked Bakura, as he attempted to pry Mahes off of him.

"I thought maybe you'd been killed...or captured..."

"Oh, you should have more faith in my skill than that," said Bakura flippantly, finally managing to disengage himself from Mahes.

"But...how did you get that wound underneath your eye? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

"Well...technically, I _was_ captured. But only briefly. I managed to get away, obviously," said Bakura.

"What?!" yelled Mahes. "You were captured?"

"Oh, calm down," said Bakura. "Everything is fine now." He sauntered across their hideout and sat down on the mattress, as if everything really was completely normal.

Mahes followed, sitting down next to him on the bed. "But, your eye..."

"Well, a guard grabbed me," Bakura explained. "I was struggling, of course. Finally managed to wriggle free of his grasp, and he struck out with his weapon. I'm lucky that it didn't catch me right in the eye, really. I bolted, and got lost in the crowd- the guard didn't manage to follow me."

"The wound looks bad," said Mahes with concern.

"It's nothing. The important thing is that I made it back," said Bakura.

"Stop acting like this is no big deal!" exclaimed Mahes.

"It isn't. I'm a thief. It comes with the job," said Bakura.

Mahes sighed. This wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Well, that wound needs to be cleaned. I hope you know that much," said Mahes.

"Of course I do," said Bakura. He began to reach for the container of water, but Mahes stopped him.

"Let me," he said. He proceeded to grab a piece of cloth and wet it with the water. He brought the cloth to Bakura's face, and Bakura hissed sharply as he wiped away the blood.

"Thought you said it was nothing," teased Mahes.

"Well, it still hurts," said Bakura in an uncharacteristically pouty manner.

Mahes laughed a little as he finished cleaning the wound. On impulse, he leaned in and quickly kissed the gash beneath Bakura's eye, earning a gasp from Bakura. Mahes smiled.

"Well, I think that's the best we can do with what we have," said Mahes. "You'd probably better rest now."

"Yeah," agreed Bakura, lying down on the bed. "Feel like I've been awake forever."

"Me too," said Mahes, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Bakura either didn't notice Mahes' tone, or simply chose to ignore it. Instead of giving any response, Bakura closed his eyes, and before long, he had drifted off to sleep. Mahes laid down next to him. Exhaustion soon overtook him as well.

Mahes awoke before Bakura did. He got up, stretched, and looked at Bakura's sleeping form. Wondering what time it was, Mahes dressed quietly, then slipped out the door to look at the position of the sun. He saw that it was late morning. He thought that Bakura must really be exhausted, and that it was a good thing he hadn't woken him up when he'd stepped outside.

Suddenly, something occurred to Mahes. When Bakura had decided to go out on his own the night before last, he apparently hadn't even been planning on telling Mahes where he was going. He hadn't awoken Mahes on purpose; it had simply been luck that Mahes had woken up and seen Bakura dressing, readying himself to leave. Bakura would have walked out without a word to Mahes, and Mahes would have had no idea where he had gone.

Anger flared within him at this realization. Without thinking about what he was doing, he began walking. As he walked, thoughts about Bakura flew through his head, and with every thought, he walked a little faster. Who did Bakura think he was, anyways? Didn't he have the least bit of consideration for anyone aside from himself? Weren't they partners? How would Bakura like it if he woke up to find Mahes gone with no explanation?

A wicked smile slowly spread on his face. He decided to find out exactly how Bakura would like it. He kept on walking, not planning on returning any time particularly soon. He would just have to find something to keep him occupied for a while.

Several hours later, Mahes finally decided he'd been gone long enough, so he headed home. When he walked back into their hideout, he was quite pleased to find Bakura pacing the floor, much as he himself had done two nights ago when Bakura was missing.

"Hi!" said Mahes brightly, pretending that nothing at all was amiss.

A look of relief passed over Bakura's face before he could hide it. Then his expression quickly became more neutral.

"Where have you been, partner?" asked Bakura.

"Why?" asked Mahes, his eyes sparkling. "Were you worried?"

"No!" snapped Bakura. "I just...thought you might have finally decided to go back to that palace or something."

"I wouldn't do that!" said Mahes, affronted. "I was just out doing things... _important_ things."

Bakura relaxed almost imperceptibly. "Well, then...tell me the tales of your adventures."

Mahes laughed. "I was kidding...I wasn't really doing anything important. I just went to the oasis and played around for a while."

"And why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

"You weren't planning on telling me where you were going when you left the other night, were you? I wanted you to know how it felt."

Surprisingly, Bakura smirked at this. "How underhanded...I must really be rubbing off on you."

Mahes smiled at him, looking embarrassed yet somewhat pleased.

Then Mahes thought of what Bakura had said a few moments ago, and his expression became more serious. "You didn't honestly think I'd go back to palace, did you? And after you got so mad at me for not trusting that you'd stick with me?"

Bakura shrugged. "I don't know. I can see why you might want to go back. It would be much more comfortable for you there. And everyone you care about is there."

" _Everyone_ I care about isn't there," said Mahes, giving Bakura a pointed look. Bakura looked away, absently scratching his head.

"I'm not going to leave you," said Mahes, as he walked over to sit down on the mattress.

Bakura didn't respond, but eventually, he sat down next to Mahes. "You really don't want to go back to the palace at all?" he finally asked.

"I really don't give a damn about riches and comfort and all those sorts of things. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

"Alright, alright," said Bakura. "But don't you ever miss your family?"

"Yeah, I miss my sister. I think about her sometimes," admitted Mahes. "But knowing what I know...about the Millennium items...I think she's better off without me around. If she knew how the Millennium items were created, I know she'd oppose it, and I'm afraid she'd be killed for her opposition. It's best that I stay away from her. At least I know she's safe."

"I see," said Bakura awkwardly. "And what about your parents?"

"They got sick and died when I was really little," said Mahes with a hint of sadness.

"Died of sickness?!" exclaimed Bakura. "But...your family is from the palace...they must have all kinds of expensive medicine and advanced magic!"

Mahes rounded on him. "Bakura, the palace isn't some wonderland where everything is perfect, the way you seem to think it is! There are still many illnesses that we don't even understand, much less know how to treat."

"Oh," was all that Bakura said.

For a while, there was silence. Finally, Bakura asked, "So, how did it happen?" It didn't occur to him to wonder if this was a rude question.

Mahes didn't really mind answering, though. "I was just a baby. My sister says that my mother got sick first. My father was by her bedside all the time, tending to her. My sister took care of me during that time. Eventually, my mother died. By then, my father seemed to have come down with the same thing my mother had. Nobody knew exactly what was wrong with him, or how to fix it. He soon died as well. My sister raised me from that point on. I almost think of her as my mother." He said all of this in a detached manner, as if he was describing something that had happened to someone else...or as if he was merely discussing the weather.

"I'm...I'm sorry?" said Bakura, unsure of what to say in this type of situation.

Mahes shrugged. "I was so young when they died. I don't even remember my parents. I guess I can't miss people I don't remember, can I?"

"Still, it's...it's too bad," Bakura said lamely.

"Yeah," said Mahes, the sorrow back in his voice for an instant. "But...honestly, what have I got to complain about? It's nothing compared to what happened to you. Everyone in your family is..."

"It's alright, you can say it," Bakura said harshly. "They're dead. _Dead._ I had to watch as my parents and my sister were murdered in front of my eyes, and I couldn't do a thing. Not to mention my friends...they're all dead too."

Mahes suddenly pulled Bakura into a hug. " _All_ of your friends aren't dead."

Bakura pushed him away, but then looked at him and said, "I can't argue with that...can I?"

"No, you can't, partner."


	5. Chapter 5

Bakura was not in the hideout with Mahes. He was off stealing...well, something. He hadn't offered Mahes much in the way of explanation.

It had been years since the last time Bakura had gone off on his own to steal. Perhaps he had avoided doing so because Mahes had made it quite clear, way back when they were children, that he didn't appreciate it.

But this time, Bakura had been quite insistent about going on his own. It was obvious that Bakura hadn't been in the mood to answer questions. And Mahes hadn't been in the mood to argue. At least Bakura had shown the courtesy of telling Mahes that he was going. He figured he could ask his questions when Bakura got back.

Of course, Mahes had no idea when Bakura would be back. He supposed that, if Bakura had known himself, he would have told him.

And Bakura had been gone for what seemed to Mahes to be a very long time, though it was probably only a few days. Mahes tried not to worry, and failed quite spectacularly in this endeavor.

For the first time in a long time, he actually thought about what it would be like if Bakura wasn't with him anymore. He no longer needed Bakura to help him with the basics of survival- he had been living outside of normal society for long enough now that he would be able to keep himself alive on his own.

But Bakura was the only friend he had in the world. And over the years, Bakura had come to mean more and more to him. He had no trouble admitting these things to himself- but he hadn't actually _thought_ about these things before, in such clear terms. He supposed it must have always been in the back of his mind. But only in the depth of his worry that something had happened to Bakura- a worry he hadn't had to deal with in many years- did the profound closeness he felt with Bakura truly come to the forefront of his thoughts.

As the days dragged on, he feared for his partner more and more, wondering what was keeping him for so long, and whether he would return to him alive and whole.

He wondered if the gods listened to the prayers of thieves.

A few minutes later, he had cause to believe that they did.

"Miss me?" Bakura's tone was casual, with a touch of sarcasm. He was standing in the doorway, and he had a bag over his shoulder.

"Bakura!" Mahes shouted gleefully. Mahes threw himself at the other teen, almost knocking him over. As Bakura struggled to stay upright, Mahes impulsively leaned in and quickly kissed Bakura on the lips.

"Oh, Ra!" Bakura yelled, shoving Mahes away. "What are you doing?"

"I was just worried," Mahes said, shrugging. Mahes had the decency to blush a bit, but seemed otherwise unperturbed at Bakura's reaction.

"Don't tell me you didn't think I was coming back?" said Bakura, apparently preferring to ignore what had just happened and continue the conversation instead.

Reminded of the times in the past when he and Bakura had been reunited after a separation, Mahes suddenly realized that he knew exactly the right response to Bakura's question. "Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

Bakura smiled a bit at hearing the familiar words. "Here, I'll show you what I made off with," he said, as he unshouldered the bag. He opened it to show Mahes its contents.

Mahes peered inside, then stepped back with a gasp. "That- that stuff isn't from any market!"

"You're right," Bakura admitted. "I robbed a tomb." There was an obvious hint of pride in his voice.

"What?" exclaimed Mahes.

"I just thought," said Bakura, with an air of importance, "that it was time I started robbing tombs."

"But why?" asked Mahes. "We don't need expensive treasures from tombs. We can steal everything we need to survive from the markets."

"It's not about survival," said Bakura. "I'm becoming a better thief every day, but if I want to become truly great, I've got to learn to pull off much bigger heists. And doing it is the only way to learn."

"What's so important about becoming a great thief?" asked Mahes.

"You know my purpose in life. If I'm to avenge my people, I need to learn to rob tombs. Some of the most well-guarded tombs will have magical items that could help me in my quest. And eventually, I must become a good enough thief to steal the Millennium items, as I've always planned. To accomplish that, I may need to be the greatest thief in all the land. And I think I will be."

"But...robbing tombs is so dangerous..." said Mahes, trailing off, a look of fear on his face.

"Danger is part of the life of a thief," said Bakura. "I thought you'd know that by now."

Mahes said nothing. He knew Bakura well by now, and he could tell when there was no use in arguing with him. And it's not as if he could ask him to give up on his promise to free the souls of his people...

Then Mahes thought of something. "So why did you want to go alone?"

"You didn't need to be involved," said Bakura flatly.

"So, you didn't want me around while you were stealing from a tomb? You didn't think I could handle it?" Mahes was obviously offended. "Don't you trust my thieving abilities yet? After I've spent all these years stealing things right beside you?"

"It's not that I don't trust your abilities!" Bakura exclaimed.

"Oh?" said Mahes, disbelieving. "Then what is it?"

"Look what happened to me when I almost got caught trying to steal from a market," Bakura said angrily, pointing at the fading scar underneath his eye. "And remember what almost happened to _you_ on your first try at stealing from a market? And robbing tombs is far more dangerous than lifting stuff from vendors! If you mess up while trying to rob a tomb, then..." Bakura stopped, seeming unable to finish.

Mahes nodded, slowly understanding what Bakura really meant, but was unwilling to say. Bakura had already lost everyone else in his life. If Mahes was killed while trying to help him steal...

"Anyways," said Bakura, "I started out small. With a smaller tomb of a lower-ranking person- those are the easiest to get into, and the least guarded. For a while, I'll be sticking to that. And I won't be doing it too often...at first. But eventually, I'll be moving on to bigger things. And I won't have you throwing a fit every time I come back from a robbery."

"You won't _have_ it?" Mahes said with some indignance.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Just...don't make this harder than it has to be. You're going to have to get used to the idea that I'll be away robbing tombs sometimes."

Resigned, Mahes nodded again. "Alright, then," he said, in seeming acceptance.

But Mahes's sleep was troubled that night. And Bakura knew it, because Mahes continually flailed and grasped for him, as if checking to make sure he was still there.

After being woken up for about the tenth time, Bakura finally lost his temper. "Will you STOP that!" he yelled.

Mahes shot up in bed, startled at having been awakened.

"What?" Mahes asked, confused. "Stop what?"

"Every time I'm just drifting off to sleep, you reach out and grab me and wake me up!"

"I-I didn't know," said Mahes. "I must have been dreaming..."

"Having nightmares, is more like it," said Bakura.

"I'm sorry, Bakura...I just...I don't want you off doing things that will get you killed!" Vulnerable in the moment just after waking from his dark dreams, Mahes sounded near tears.

"I thought we'd already been through this," Bakura said with exasperation, as he laced his fingers behind his own head.

"I know, Bakura," said Mahes. "I'd never stop you from fulfilling your life's goal. But I worry..."

"I'll be safe. I have powers at my disposal that you can't even imagine," said Bakura.

"Like what?" asked Mahes, seeming to calm slightly as he came fully awake.

"Time enough to explain that later," said Bakura mysteriously. "Just trust me. Can't you do that by now?"

Mahes sighed and laid back down next to him. His body language was the only answer that Bakura got.

Finally, Bakura said, "Diabound." The word echoed in the stillness of the room.

"What?" asked Mahes.

"Diabound. It's my ka. It...protects me."

"We all have ka, Bakura," said Mahes.

"Yes, but...my ka is not only my own. It's strengthened by every spirit from every person from my village who was murdered. All those who want to help me get revenge for what was done to us."

"I did notice that your ka seemed stronger than normal, back when I first met you," said Mahes. "But what you're talking about...the power must be immense."

"It is," said Bakura. "And the power has grown as I've aged. And when I get angry or feel threatened...well, it's how I knocked out the guards when I robbed the tomb."

"I see," said Mahes. "Well, that makes me feel-"

Bakura interrupted him. "I would never direct it at someone...someone I didn't want to-"

"I know," Mahes said, cutting him off. "I was going to say that it makes me feel better. Knowing you have that protection."

"Oh," said Bakura. "Of course." He winced a little at his mistaken assumption, but Mahes couldn't see his expression in the dark.

After several moments of silence, Bakura's body started to relax, and Mahes finally spoke again. "So, if you're going to be stealing riches from tombs...what use will I be to you? The petty thievery I'm capable of will be worthless in comparison to the silver and gold that you'll be stealing, when you eventually move on to the bigger tombs."

Bakura laughed softly, grateful that Mahes seemed to be displaying some kind of acceptance about his inevitable life path.

"Well, Mahes, you've always been useless," said Bakura. But his tone was teasing, not antagonistic, and Mahes recognized this.

"Useless, am I?" asked Mahes with good-natured humor, shifting just a little closer to Bakura.

"Ah, yes...I've had to take care of you and teach you everything since day one."

"But I've always been good for warmth at night, haven't I?" asked Mahes coyly. "Couldn't get that all by yourself..."

"We-ell, I suppose that's true."

"Are you cold tonight?" Mahes asked.

"A little," Bakura admitted, almost regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth.

"Then I'll keep you warm," Mahes said quietly, drawing his arms up around Bakura and pulling him nearer.

Bakura's first instinct was to push Mahes away. But why should that be? This was normal, right? They always slept close to each other at night, to conserve body heat. Besides, he didn't really want to move away from the bodily contact. And it truly _was_ cold that night...

Sensing no resistance to the physical intimacy from Bakura, Mahes tightened his arms around his partner. They were very close now, and their faces were only inches apart. And then Mahes leaned in and brushed his lips against Bakura's, just for an instant.

"Warm now?" asked Mahes under his breath, giving Bakura one more soft, brief kiss.

"Yes..." whispered Bakura, as his eyes fluttered closed.

Bakura was lightheaded now, and he felt too lost in the moment to even think of protesting. There was almost no conscious thought in his action as he slipped his arms around Mahes.

By the time Bakura could actually begin to wonder what the hell was happening and where this was going, Mahes had buried his face into Bakura's chest. Bakura opened his eyes to see that Mahes was already peacefully asleep, secure in Bakura's arms.

Bakura sighed. Whatever had just happened, it wouldn't do any good to worry about it that night. Bakura closed his eyes again, and for the moment, he cleared his mind of thoughts, and just enjoyed the warmth of his partner's body until sleep took him as well.


	6. Chapter 6

Bakura awoke slowly as Ra's first rays began to light the sky. As he came fully awake, memories of what had happened the night before flooded his mind. Next he realized that his body was still draped over Mahes, and he fairly leaped out of bed.

"Wha-?" asked Mahes sleepily. Bakura's sudden movement had woken him up.

"Just getting up," said Bakura. He tried to sound casual. The way the edges of Mahes's lips quirked, as if he was trying to suppress a smile, made Bakura think he hadn't quite succeeded.

Bakura decided, right then and there, that he was going to totally ignore whatever had happened the night before. Maybe if he didn't mention it, Mahes wouldn't either, and the entire thing could be forgotten.

"So, what's for breakfast?" asked Mahes, arising from bed.

"I don't know. There's not much. You didn't keep this place very well stocked while I was gone," said Bakura. He tried to sound irritated, but secretly he was glad that Mahes had started a conversation on a totally safe subject.

Bakura thought that this might work. He set his mind to ignore everything. He wasn't even going to _think_ about what had happened the day before.

As it turned out, Mahes made this quite impossible, because as he passed by Bakura, he quickly leaned in and joined their lips together once more, just for a second.

Bakura stood frozen. Mahes, on the other hand, continued the thread of conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Well, I was a little busy being _worried_ about you," said Mahes. "I wasn't thinking so much about making sure we had an adequate store of supplies."

Bakura stood silent for a while, then managed to break out of his trance. Ignoring it wasn't going to work, he realized ruefully. He was going to have to say something.

"Why do you keep _doing_ that?" Bakura finally demanded.

"Doing what?" asked Mahes with mock innocence.

"You _know_ what," said Bakura, trying to make his voice sound low and dangerous.

"No, tell me," said Mahes. Now Mahes was openly smiling.

Bakura knew he was being played with, and he did not like it one bit. He glared at Mahes angrily, trying to look fierce, but he knew that he couldn't really threaten the other teen- Mahes was not afraid of him in the least.

"Well?" asked Mahes.

Apparently, Bakura didn't have any choice but to say it. "Kissing me!" he finally burst out.

"Oh, that," said Mahes, shrugging. "It just...feels right." Mahes paused. "Doesn't it?"

For some reason, that question caused Bakura's face to heat up. He declined to give any answer.

"I mean," Mahes tried to clarify, "when you care about someone, you hug and kiss them. My sister always hugged and kissed me."

"So...you feel the same way about me as you do about your sister?" Somehow, Bakura didn't like that idea.

But Mahes shook his head. "No, I mean...I _do_ think of you as family in a way. But it's _more_ than that, you know? Like there's something extra there. Being close to you feels different than being close to my sister did."

"How?" Bakura asked, a bit dazed. He couldn't even believe he was having this conversation.

"Well, it kind of makes my heart speed up," said Mahes. "Is it the same for you?"

And then Mahes was coming towards him. Bakura instinctively backed up, and did so much too quickly. He was far past being able to pay attention to what he was doing, and he managed to smack himself right into the shelves on the wall behind him. The impact of his body sent several bottles crashing to the floor. The hideout was momentarily filled with the tinkling sound of shattering glass.

"Dammit!" cursed Bakura.

Mahes paused for a moment, but then cautiously, he began to step forward again. Bakura could have moved to the side and avoided him, but he felt like his mind was locked up, and before he knew it, Mahes's body was pressed against his own.

"If you really want me to, I'll stop touching you," said Mahes, as he put his hand on Bakura's chest. He lowered his voice. "But your heart is racing."

Bakura felt his mouth go dry. "What does this mean?" Bakura finally asked. It was the question that had been plaguing him since the day before. It was an awkward question, but he didn't think it was possible for things to get any more awkward than they already were.

Mahes shrugged again. "Does it matter? It's just us here. If we both want to..." Mahes tilted his head.

Mahes's closeness was making it very, very hard for Bakura to think. Maybe that was why Mahes's words seemed to make sense in that moment. Hesitantly, tentatively, Bakura leaned in and connected his lips with Mahes's.

Immediately, Mahes's arms were around him, and Bakura was being kissed back. Mahes kissed him slowly, repeatedly, and Bakura knew he was lost, returning the kisses and fisting his hands in Mahes's robes.

After several minutes of this, Bakura finally mustered the strength to pull his mouth away from Mahes's.

"We have other things to do today!" Bakura said harshly. "For one thing, you need to clean up all this broken glass. It's _your_ fault it got broken."

Bakura pushed Mahes away, and went to sit on the bed. "And once you're done with that, go to the market and get stuff to replace what got broken," he said huffily. "And get us some food, too, since you didn't even bother to stock up on the necessities while I was gone."

"Alright, Bakura," said Mahes. And then, under his breath, "Small price to pay."

"What was that?" asked Bakura.

"Nothing," said Mahes, turning his head away and smiling to himself as he bent to clean up the broken glass.

"And don't cut yourself!" said Bakura sharply.

After making this admonishment, Bakura laid down, turning pointedly away from Mahes. Eventually, he heard Mahes leave, apparently to go steal food and supplies. It was then that Bakura allowed himself a frustrated groan. He still couldn't believe that he'd gotten himself into this. Or rather, that he'd let Mahes get him into this.

Also, he was hungry, and Mahes wouldn't be back with something to eat for quite a while. He briefly considered banging his head into the wall.

Instead, he continued to lay there stiffly, with a growling stomach and troubled thoughts. The most troubling of these thoughts was that, truth be told, he wanted his partner to do _that_ with him again. He tried to push this thought out of his mind as he waited for Mahes to return with food. He wasn't entirely successful.

Mahes must have been hurrying, because although he took most of the day, he still returned much sooner than Bakura had expected. Mahes threw something at Bakura and Bakura caught it deftly. Bakura looked at the thing in his hand, comprehension dawning.

"Meat?" he asked. " _Real_ meat?" He was obviously surprised and pleased.

"Yup, it's goat," said Mahes proudly.

Bakura immediately attacked the meat, taking a huge bite.

"Bakura!" exclaimed Mahes.

"What?" asked Bakura, blood dripping down his face.

"That's raw!" yelled Mahes. "It's red meat, not poultry!"

"So? I'm hungry," said Bakura, tearing off another bite for himself.

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Mahes. And he actually did look a little ill.

Bakura smirked and tore off another huge chunk with his teeth.

"I believe I've lost my appetite," said Mahes, turning away from Bakura. He heard Bakura snicker behind him.

Mahes tried to hold out, but soon, hunger got the best of him. Still facing away from Bakura, he sat down and began to eat an apple. Once he was done with that, he started in on a radish, and tried to ignore the sound of Bakura ravenously devouring the bloody flesh.

When the two were done eating, Mahes turned back around to face Bakura.

"Ra, you're disgusting," said Mahes with distaste.

Unexpectedly, Bakura collapsed on the ground in a fit of giggles.

Mahes looked at him angrily. "It's not funny!" he said. "Really, I was barely able to eat!"

But Bakura's laughter was contagious, and eventually Mahes began laughing himself. After a while, their laughter began to taper off, and Bakura picked himself up off of the floor.

"Look, it's been a long day, at least for me," said Mahes. "Lots of exercise and hardly any food...I'm just out of energy. I'm going to bed."

With that, Mahes shed his robe and climbed into bed. Bakura stood across from him, a look of indecision and uncertainty on his face.

"Don't want to sleep next to me anymore?" asked Mahes.

"Are you going to- you know-"

Mahes smiled at the fact that Bakura couldn't even say it. "Not if you don't want me to," he said.

"Well, it's not as if I want to sleep on the floor," conceded Bakura.

So Bakura threw off his own robe and laid down next to Mahes. Mahes cuddled up to him, as he always did. Bakura shivered a bit at the close contact, and this did not go unnoticed by Mahes.

"But if you _do_ want me to...I will..." said Mahes quietly.

And Bakura gave in and allowed his partner to kiss him senseless.

After that night, Bakura totally gave up on protesting Mahes's kisses and touches, and simply let himself enjoy this...whatever it was.

So, a couple months later, when Bakura returned from robbing a tomb and Mahes greeted him with a hug and a kiss, Bakura was no longer shocked or flustered.

"Where have you been, partner?" asked Mahes. "Tell me the tales of your adventures."

"I didn't have any trouble at all," said Bakura proudly. "You can see what I stole if you like, but you know these small tombs don't have much of interest in them. It's getting so easy for me, though- I think I'm ready to move on to stealing from slightly larger tombs."

Mahes looked a bit worried, but said nothing; he just leaned in for another short kiss, simultaneously snatching Bakura's bag from him so he could examine its contents.

Bakura had surprised himself with how easily he'd gotten used to Mahes stealing quick kisses from him during the daytime, and kissing him for much longer each night when they went to bed.

Yet, it seemed that every time Bakura had just gotten comfortable with what they were doing, Mahes tried something _new_ \- teeth on his earlobe, a tongue on his neck, fingers skimming down his chest. It was as if Mahes delighted in finding new ways to make him gasp, to make him feel better than he already did, and it always threw him off balance all over again.

His heart never failed to race with anticipation every night when Mahes would climb into bed next to him, as he wondered what Mahes might do next.

But still, he took Mahes into his arms without hesitation each night, and let Mahes do what he would to him- all the things that he would never, ever admit how much he enjoyed.

So there came a night when Bakura pulled Mahes close and let Mahes kiss him into oblivion, and then let him kiss along his jawline, down his neck, across his shoulder.

"Ah- Bakura-" said Mahes, as his hands incessantly stroked over Bakura's back. "Doing this with you- it makes me want _more._ "

"More?" asked Bakura, eyes widening.

"I think- you do too?"

And instead of explaining what he meant in words, Mahes bumped his hips against Bakura's, causing Bakura to gasp with surprise and momentary pleasure. Bakura felt himself blushing slightly, knowing that he couldn't hide the fact that his body was reacting to what Mahes was doing to him. But Mahes's body was reacting in the same way, and it was obvious to Bakura that Mahes had been trying to show him that, too.

"Can I touch you?" asked Mahes then, softly, questioning. "I want to make you feel good..."

Mahes rubbed up against Bakura again.

"Oh, fuck," Bakura breathed. He thought he should try to resist, but he wanted it- badly. "Y-yes."

And then Mahes's hands were _there,_ and it was so incredible to be touched like that by someone else, so Bakura closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, but he held back as much as he could and didn't make any sounds, not wanting Mahes to know how good it felt.

But suddenly there was warmth and wetness and Bakura absolutely _screamed_ as Mahes's tongue licked all along his most sensitive place.

"Alright?" asked Mahes.

"Yes, yes, yes," was all that Bakura could manage by then.

And he couldn't help screaming again as Mahes's mouth enveloped him completely.

He felt lips and tongue and suction and it was amazing and it wasn't long at all before he spasmed and released into his partner's mouth. Dimly, from the depths of his ecstasy, he heard Mahes gag a little, but Mahes quickly recovered and then he moved up so that his face was next to Bakura's.

"Good?" asked Mahes.

Bakura was still panting, but he somehow regained control of himself and, choosing not to answer, changed the subject instead. "What does it taste like?" He was honestly curious.

"Bittersweet," said Mahes. "Like you."

Bakura smiled. With a soft and affectionate look in his eyes, Mahes reached out and touched Bakura's face.

"I love you," whispered Mahes.

"Don't be so sentimental," said Bakura roughly.

And then, to distract him- only to distract him- Bakura flipped Mahes over and dipped his own head and returned the favor that Mahes had just given him.

"Oh, Ra, Bakura-"

And then it was Bakura who got to make Mahes scream. Bakura had no real idea what he was doing, but judging by the sounds the one underneath him was making, that didn't really matter. So Bakura was able to drive Mahes crazy quite easily, and when Bakura flicked his tongue around the tip of Mahes's erection, Mahes couldn't take any more and cried out as he came.

Bakura kept his head down and forced himself to swallow. Mahes had been able to handle it, so it would be unacceptable if he couldn't handle it as well. When he was sure Mahes was through, he lifted his head up and then collapsed against Mahes's chest.

He felt Mahes's arms come up around him. "Bakura...love you..."

"I told you not to be so sentimental," Bakura said.

Mahes sighed indulgently. Warm feelings of relaxation and sleepiness were pulling at him, and he soon gave himself over to sleep.

Bakura remained lying with his head on Mahes's chest, trying not to think too much. Eventually, he too fell asleep, the sound of his partner's heartbeat carrying him down into his dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

"Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

Bakura pushed Mahes away from him. Mahes looked at him in confusion. It had been quite a while since Bakura had shoved him away. Something had obviously happened, but Mahes couldn't figure out what it was.

Bakura had been robbing somewhat larger tombs- the tombs of slightly more important people- for a little while now. Mahes had accepted it grudgingly at first, but he'd become more used to it over time, and Bakura hadn't gotten himself into any real trouble- yet. Now Mahes wondered what the matter was. Especially since Bakura hadn't been out on any kind of tomb-robbing expedition that day, at least as far as Mahes knew. Bakura had said that he was simply going into town. And he did not seem to be hurt.

Mahes cocked his head, looking at Bakura. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope," said Bakura.

Mahes continued to look at him questioningly.

Bakura threw down his pack and walked across the hideout. "Killed a bunch of guys today," he said casually.

Mahes's head snapped around. " _What_?"

"I killed a bunch of guys today," Bakura repeated patiently.

Mahes's eyes went wide. Was Bakura kidding? But Bakura really was not the type to make jokes.

For several moments, Mahes was too flustered to speak. Finally, he managed to cry, "May I ask _why_?" He was obviously distressed.

"Had to do it," said Bakura, shrugging, and still sounding totally nonchalant.

Mahes pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. " _Why_ did you have to do it?" he asked, trying to hold himself together.

"While I was in town, a whole group of men surrounded me- a _lot_ of them- and they intended to rob me, beat me...probably kill me. So I had to kill them first."

Bakura still sounded totally calm and collected, and it made Mahes want to kick something...possibly Bakura himself. But he made no move. Instead, he only waited to see if Bakura had more to say on the subject.

"Self defense," Bakura finished smugly. And that was all. Bakura went to sit down on their bed.

"How can you come home and tell me you _killed_ people and act like it's _normal_?" Mahes screamed, finally losing his cool entirely.

"Mahes, I've tried to explain to you," said Bakura, using a tone that made it seem as if he were explaining something to a young and particularly irrational child, "the life of a thief-"

"Oh, _fuck_ that!" yelled Mahes, having become completely unraveled at this point. "Stealing to survive is _totally_ different than randomly killing-"

"I told you, it wasn't random!" flared Bakura. He was finally showing some emotion, and this in itself calmed Mahes slightly.

"Did you listen to anything I said at all?" continued Bakura, his anger evident. "I was surrounded, greatly outnumbered, and they probably would have killed me if I hadn't retaliated. Is that what you'd like? Is it? For me to be killed, and never come home?"

Mahes sighed. "Of course not," he said weakly. The strength seemed to have gone out of his limbs, and he sat down heavily on the floor. "But was there no other way to defend yourself? No other way besides killing so many?"

"How do you think I did it?" asked Bakura, his eyes hard.

Mahes looked up. "Diabound," he realized.

"Yes," confirmed Bakura.

Mahes stared at him so plaintively that Bakura was finally compelled to explain himself.

"Look, Mahes, I don't- I don't have full control of my ka yet. As you know, it's not just my own. That means it's not so easy to keep hold of it. Maybe when I'm older, when I'm more experienced with using it- but right now, when I'm threatened, and I get really angry, or- or-"

Bakura paused, as if searching for the right word. Mahes thought he knew the word that Bakura really wanted. _Frightened._ But he also knew that Bakura would never admit to being afraid.

"Or really upset," Bakura finally continued, "I automatically lash out with my ka. It's my only real defense, so of course it's automatic- instinctual. If I'm in mortal danger, of course I'm going to let it loose. And then- well, as I said, I don't really have control over what it does."

"I see," said Mahes stiffly.

Bakura glared at Mahes, plainly seeing his disapproval.

"You have _no idea_ ," said Bakura vehemently, baring his teeth. "No idea what it's like for a group of men to come and attack you when you're totally helpless and you know they're there to kill you for no good reason but there's _nothing_ you can do and-"

"But you're not helpless," Mahes said, and then he winced as he suddenly realized that Bakura was talking about something else entirely- not what he'd been through that very day, but what had happened so many years ago.

A look passed between them, and Bakura knew that Mahes knew, without either having to speak.

"As far as those men today knew, I was helpless," Bakura said, seeming a bit calmer now. "Like I said, they surrounded me- so many of them against just me, and I had no obvious weapons and no obvious way to defend myself against all of them. They would have killed me- someone who had never done anything to them- and I wasn't going to let it happen. That's all."

"Alright," Mahes said finally.

Mahes got up and walked over to Bakura, sitting down next to him and putting an arm around him. Bakura allowed it.

"Sorry," Mahes choked out.

Bakura leaned into his touch. For moments, they only sat there. Then Bakura broke the silence.

"Just know this, Mahes- I will kill when it is necessary. If I have to, I will kill to defend myself. But I won't kill innocents without reason. That would make me no better than- than-" he broke off there, but Mahes knew what he meant without him having to say.

Mahes pulled him closer. "And would you kill to defend me?" he asked quietly.

"I'd die," said Bakura unexpectedly, so suddenly that it was obvious that he was thinking aloud, having been caught off-guard and unable to filter his thoughts before they came tumbling out of his mouth.

Mahes leaned in, bringing his face closer to Bakura's. But Bakura pushed him away for the second time that day.

"Don't try to turn this conversation into- whatever it is that you're always trying to turn these conversations into. Do you think kissing me will solve things? You're a year older than me, yet you're still a child compared to me. There are things you need to understand. Things that won't disappear just because you're touching me and- and-" Bakura stopped speaking for a moment, obviously not wanting to name the things that Mahes did to him. But he shook his head to clear it and then quickly got back to the point. "I killed many today, and I will almost surely kill more in the future. I'll kill if I have to do it to complete my quest, and I will probably have to do so. This is not a life I chose- it was thrust upon me, but I accept it. And if you can't, then-"

"You'd never killed anyone before today, had you?" asked Mahes solemnly.

"No," said Bakura flatly, his eyes suddenly seeming far away.

"It's alright," said Mahes. He put his arm around Bakura again, but tentatively. "I understand. You did nothing to them, they attacked you, and you had to defend yourself. There was nothing else you could have done. Don't feel bad about it."

"I _don't_ ," said Bakura, and the lie in his voice was evident even to himself.

But Mahes chose not to call him on it. "Good, because it wasn't your fault. You did what you had to."

Mahes sighed in sorrow, even as he cuddled a little closer to Bakura. He didn't like any of this. He didn't like that Bakura had killed, and he liked it even less that he was almost sure to kill again. There were things- things he'd never, ever suspected during his childhood in the palace. Good and evil, right and wrong- they were supposed to be obvious. Morality was black and white, and there was no confusion. That's what he had been taught. Protecting the palace and its people? That was good. The outsiders who tried to attack the palace? They were bad. Killing was bad, stealing was bad, breaking the law was bad. Yet it wasn't like that. There were so many shades of gray in between the black and white. And he never would have known. Except that then he'd found this boy- the boy who was no longer a boy, but now almost a man- who had gray hair and gray eyes himself. And that boy had come along and shown him the truth of the world, had shown him all the shades of gray hidden in between the black-and-white morals he'd grown up with.

But even with shades of gray, there was black. Without a doubt, there was black. Black was what had been perpetrated against Bakura's village for the purpose of creating the Millennium items. Was Bakura's vengeance quest entirely white? Maybe not, but Mahes no longer cared. Bakura deserved his revenge, because his people's souls deserved to be freed. And that was enough for Mahes.

And so, in a way, Mahes still clung stubbornly to his notions of a black and white morality- the murder of Bakura's village was evil, and that meant that any actions taken to correct it- as long as it didn't involve the slaughter of innocents for no reason- was good. And in that moment, Mahes decided this firmly and set it in his mind- though maybe he'd already decided this years ago, the moment he'd chosen to abandon his life at the palace and become Bakura's partner.

"I accept it," said Mahes quietly.

"What?" asked Bakura.

"I accept the life that was, as you said, thrust upon you," Mahes told him. "Your vengeance quest is just, and I will support it, as I have from the beginning."

Mahes paused momentarily, as something occurred to him. "I ask only one thing."

"And what is that?" asked Bakura warily.

"My sister," said Mahes softly.

And Bakura was taken aback, for he had almost forgotten that Mahes's sister was herself a member of the Pharaoh's inner court.

"Just promise you won't hurt my sister," Mahes continued. "I'm positive she had no knowledge of how the Millennium items were created, because she never would have approved if she had. She holds the Millennium Tauk, but she doesn't know...she's a good person. An innocent."

To Mahes's relief, Bakura nodded sagely. "If you say she's an innocent, then I believe you."

And Mahes smiled at Bakura's trust in his word.

But then Bakura continued. "I don't think I can promise that I won't harm her in any way. If she stands in the way of my collecting the Millennium items- if she fights- then I may have to fight against her. But I will promise that I will not let her die. I will not be the cause of her death."

Mahes felt an immense pain in his heart at the idea of Bakura and his sister fighting each other. He didn't want either of them to hurt the other. Yet he realized the enormity of Bakura's promise- that even if Isis stood in the way of his getting the Millennium items, he would not kill her under any circumstances. And Mahes was grateful for that. Yet he should have expected it- Bakura knew what it was like to lose family members, and he wouldn't want to inflict that on Mahes. Especially not when he knew that Mahes's sister had done no wrong. But then Mahes thought of something else.

"Bakura- you said yourself that you can't control Diabound yet. If you attack with Diabound- and you would have to, in order to infiltrate the palace- how can you be sure who will be killed and who will merely be hurt?"

"You underestimate me again," said Bakura. "There's a reason I didn't rush off to attack the palace the moment I found out what they'd done. I'm not ready yet, and I'm wise enough to know it...I've spent years getting ready, but I'm still not quite there yet. By the time I'm ready, I will have had more experience with my ka, and I will be able to control it."

"So...you won't go to the palace and try to get the Millennium items until you're sure you're in perfect control of your ka?"

"Of course not," Bakura scoffed. "Even if it weren't for the issue of your sister, I wouldn't. This isn't something I'm willing to mess up. By the time I'm ready, I will be the greatest thief, and my ka will be my most powerful and reliable ally."

"And how will you accomplish that?" asked Mahes.

"I think you already know," said Bakura. "By continuing to rob larger and larger tombs. Obviously, Diabound will be needed for some of the more difficult jobs. As I learn to become a better thief, I'll learn how best to use Diabound as well."

Mahes quailed at this. "I still don't like the idea of you putting yourself in danger, robbing the tombs of the most important people that are the most heavily guarded, the ones that are most likely to get you captured or killed..."

"After my experience today, I'm far less worried about getting myself killed," stated Bakura. "Anyways, we've discussed this- I've told you that I'll need to work my way up to robbing the biggest tombs of the most high ranking people. And now, I'm sure that I'm ready to move on to robbing the tombs of people considered most important by the palace. My thefts will be harder from here on out, but I have no doubt that I can pull them off."

"I hate it," said Mahes, unable to censor his thoughts at that moment.

A look of defiance appeared on Bakura's face, and Mahes saw it clearly. So before Bakura could say anything, Mahes spoke again.

"Even if I don't like it, I understand why you have to do it...and we've discussed enough for today," he said.

Mahes's eyes met Bakura's, and he reached out to touch his face.

"So," Mahes continued, "even if it won't solve anything...let me hold you for now?"

And Bakura did.


	8. Chapter 8

_Anywhere you go_   
_We are bound together_   
_I begin where you end_   
_Some things are forever_

_You complete the heart of me_

_Day breaks, my heart aches_   
_I will wait for you right here_

-Belinda Carlisle, Circle in the Sand

* * *

Bakura really didn't know how it had happened. Normally, no one would ever, ever have been able to sneak up on him. And if someone had, he would have been able to nimbly escape that person. He had the hearing of a wolf, and the reflexes of a cat.

Maybe it was because he was concentrating too hard on using Diabound to remove the large stone barrier that blocked the entrance of the tomb that he was attempting to get into. Lately, it seemed he was paying too much attention to Diabound, to make sure that his ka didn't get out of control.

It was the sensible thing to do, really. He _did_ need to be in perfect control of his ka if he was to accomplish his ultimate life goal.

Regardless of how he had allowed it to happen, it didn't change the results. Two guards had managed to sneak up behind him without him being aware in the least, and before he'd even known what was happening, his hands were bound in chains and he was being led away.

He could have reacted then, but perhaps he was simply too shocked. The great Bakura, captured by mere guards? It was just unbelievable!

However, as the guards dragged him roughly and unceremoniously across the desert sand, he soon found that he had no choice but to believe it. Before he knew it, he was bound hand and foot to several other prisoners who were also being held captive by the guards.

"Move!" yelled one of the guards, addressing the line of prisoners.

And the other captives obediently did as they were told. They shuffled forward slowly, obviously reluctantly, but none were displaying any real resistance.

And Bakura was again shocked as his body was jerked forward, forcing him to move along with the other fugitives that he was chained to. Why weren't any of these other men fighting back?

Dazed and uncomprehending, he began moving too, just out of instinct from the constant pull forwards.

But his shock did not last too long. In his line of work- if one could call it that- he couldn't afford to freeze up. And some deep, almost instinctual part of his mind, honed from long experience, activated and brought him back to his senses.

He stopped dead in his tracks. The other prisoners made sounds of protest as they were brought up short. Some stumbled and almost fell backwards.

"Where are you taking us?" demanded Bakura.

One of the guards approached him, sneering.

"Normally, I wouldn't bother to answer the question of a lowly thief such as yourself," stated the guard. "But maybe I will make an example out of you, in case any of the others here decide to open their mouths."

And then the guard reached out and slapped Bakura directly across the face as hard as he could, leaving a reddening hand print.

Bakura rocked back on his heels, not having expected such an attack when he was already chained up. And then he felt the anger and hatred boiling inside him. It emanated from every pore of his body, a slow burn that was steadily building to something immense.

The guard did not seem to notice. He simply continued with his speech. "If you must know, you have all committed crimes against the kingdom, and therefore you are all enemies of our great Pharaoh. You will be brought before him, and-"

And that was it. Bakura's gray eyes began to glow red as his anger welled up, seeming to shove at his insides, making him feel that he would explode if he didn't let it out. And in the present situation, he had absolutely no reason to try to resist letting it out.

The guard must have seen the change in him, for he suddenly ceased speaking and stumbled back several steps, a look of fear and confusion on his face. This did absolutely nothing to dissuade Bakura or create any sympathy within him.

For one last moment, Bakura sounded calm and in control as he turned to the now-terrified guard and whispered darkly, "You have no idea whom you're dealing with."

Then his emotions reached a fever pitch, and his anger seemed to flare out of him. But of course, it was not mere anger, but Diabound which burst forth from him.

His ka swept out across the area in which he was facing, murderous and merciless, instantly killing the guards that stood before him. The bodies of the guards were thrown across the desert like rag dolls, landing in lifeless heaps.

Then Bakura turned to face forwards. He saw the other prisoners in front of him. And Diabound shot out in front of him, towards the other captives.

"Enemies of our great Pharaoh..." The guard's words echoed in the back of his mind.

Diabound swept through the prisoners, and in an instant, it had broken every chain, leaving all of the men completely unharmed. Then Bakura's ka came back towards him, snapping the chains binding his own wrists and ankles, freeing him.

Bakura then felt the familiar pain in his chest which meant that Diabound had slammed back inside of him, returning to its place. Bakura instantly fell to his knees from the exertion of the entire event, not yet used to using his ka so strongly. His eyes then cleared, returning to their normal color of stormy gray, and he knew that Diabound was dormant inside of him again, for the moment.

He recovered quickly and stood up, looking about. The other criminals were milling around and displaying various expressions. Some were looking down at their hands and feet, unable to believe that they had been freed so suddenly. Others were already wandering away with blank looks on their faces, too stunned to absorb what had happened. Others were looking at Bakura fearfully, warily, as if they wondered whether he might attack them next.

Finally, one prisoner broke out of his trance and approached Bakura. "Thank you for freeing us," he said humbly.

"I didn't do it for you," said Bakura. There was a cold, hard edge to his voice. "I did it for my own self-preservation."

"But..." the other man started, a bit taken aback. "You could have killed us along with the guards. Instead, you broke our chains and freed us. Some of the others may not have seen it, but I know what you did."

"None of you have tried to harm me, so I had no reason to kill you. And I don't know what the rest of you have done, but I don't kill without reason," said Bakura. "Besides, you are enemies of the Pharaoh, as am I. That means we're on the same side."

"Still, I owe you a debt of gratitude. We all do," said the man. Others were now turning to listen to their conversation.

Bakura raised his voice so that all the men could hear him. "If any of you want to thank me, then thank me in this way: go free, and make the Pharaoh as miserable as you can!"

Bakura then turned to leave. But another man suddenly rushed after him, calling to him. "Wait! If you want to bring down the Pharaoh, I would be willing to help you. I'm sure many of us would. And gods know your powers would be helpful to us."

"Sorry, I work alone," said Bakura, turning again and beginning to stride off.

He then heard one more voice call after him. "We're out here in the middle of the desert. Where are we to go? What are we to do?"

Irritated, Bakura turned back to face the speaker. "That really isn't my problem."

But most of the men were now looking at him, as if awaiting guidance.

"Oh, Ra! If you are all criminals, I'd think you'd be a little more self reliant!" exclaimed Bakura. "I've already freed you from being brought to the palace, where you would have faced certain death. Is that not enough? Go and do whatever you would have done had you not been captured. I, for one, have someone that I need to get home to."

Bakura winced inwardly at his last comment, which he'd spoken aloud without really thinking. What in Ra's name was he going to tell Mahes about this entire debacle?

But then another voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing Bakura's annoyance to an even higher level.

"So you _do_ have someone." It was the man who had first thanked him, he realized. "I thought you said you worked alone."

"It's complicated!" snapped Bakura. And then he turned his back on the men a final time, walking away quickly without another backwards glance.

If any of the men called after him again, Bakura didn't hear it, because he was too lost in his own thoughts. He hated to admit it, but he really did dread telling Mahes about the entire ordeal. He'd been captured, which he knew would worry Mahes to no end. In addition, he'd killed more people, and Mahes would not be too fond of that.

Of course, he'd been completely justified in the killing. They were palace guards- especially cruel ones, at that- and he would have gone to his death if he hadn't killed them. Also, he had proven to himself that day that he was obviously learning to control Diabound with much more precision, and that could only be a good thing. And though he'd been captured, he'd gotten away quickly, with no real damage. Well, no damage aside from the stinging mark on the side of his face, administered by a now-dead guard who would soon be rotting under the desert sun as he was picked apart by scavengers. Bakura smiled briefly at this thought, but then his mind turned back to how Mahes would react to the events of the day, and his mood darkened again.

He briefly considered simply lying about it- or rather, omitting what had happened. But then Mahes would wonder why he was coming home without any stolen treasures. And why he had a red mark on the side of his face. And-

And there was no real reason to lie to him. He'd never lied to Mahes before, and there was really no sense in starting now. Their partnership worked because Mahes accepted, however grudgingly, that Bakura was doing what he had to. And he'd just have to continue to accept it. Hiding things now wouldn't make things easier in the long run, when the situation was sure to get worse and more dangerous. No, Mahes would just have to _deal_ with it.

With that thought in his mind, he continued on his way home, steeling himself for an argument with Mahes, yet somehow knowing that everything would turn out alright. He smiled again as he thought of the way that Mahes was sure to greet him as soon as he walked in.

* * *

  
So, of course, just when Mahes had started to become a bit more comfortable with Bakura's forays into robbing the tombs of more prestigious people- just when he'd begun to be less worried about Bakura's safety- Bakura had come home with a story about having been captured. Granted, Bakura had escaped basically unharmed...but still.

Bakura had stayed settled at home for a little while after his close scrape, possibly out of some consideration for Mahes. But soon enough, Bakura had gone off to rob another tomb. Mahes still hated it, yet he also still knew that Bakura could not give up his calling.

So now Mahes was again stuck alone in the hideout, with concerns about Bakura's safety plaguing his thoughts. Bakura had been gone on his latest tomb-robbing expedition for a couple of days now, and as usual, Mahes didn't know when he would be back.

Mahes was lying sideways on their bed, his feet propped against the wall, and his head hanging over the edge of the mattress. He knew that soon, he would shift positions again, restless as he was.

His mind wanted to focus on all the horrible things that could be happening to Bakura at that moment. It wanted to drift into thinking about the worst-case scenario- how he would feel if Bakura never came home; the pain and torment that would ensue if he never even found out what had happened to Bakura; what Mahes's life would be like if he had to continue on as an outcast of society, but completely alone and without his partner.

Mahes attempted to banish all thoughts of Bakura from his mind as he jerkily shifted his body sideways, rolling over to set himself right-ways on the bed so that his head now lay on the encased plant fibers that made up their pillow.

Mahes tossed and turned violently, unable to make his thoughts obey him. Bakura was an idiot...a reckless, arrogant idiot...who would never give up on his duty to his people, no matter what the risks...

And he respected Bakura for that. And something on a level just below his consciousness told him that this was the path that his thoughts should take. If he couldn't stop thinking of his partner, he should at least think of him in general terms- positive terms- instead of thinking of the danger he may be in at that very moment.

So Mahes let his mind wander to the things that had happened between himself and Bakura over their years together. He and Bakura had been _something_ to each other- something that Bakura would never admit to or define aloud- for a while now.

And from the start, Mahes had always wanted more, more, more. He had sensed, on a deep level, that Bakura wanted the same thing- though Bakura would be the last person on Earth to ever admit to such desires.

And so they had experimented. And at first, with certain activities, things had been fumbling, awkward, even painful. It wasn't as if either of them knew what they were doing, nor did they have any way to find out how to properly proceed. So it was purely trial and error, and there were more nights than Mahes cared to remember that had ended in pain and soreness and even blood for either himself or Bakura.

But Mahes would never forget the first time that it had actually _worked_ \- the time that Bakura had slid his fingers inside of him, slicked with oil, and hit some special place inside that made him cry out with pleasure and caused his body to demand something more substantial.

And after that, Mahes had known just what to do to Bakura to cause him to feel the same way.

Mahes felt himself getting turned on at these thoughts, and some part of his mind lectured him that now was not the time for that- not when Bakura was off on a dangerous mission; not when he didn't even know if he'd ever see him...

But he still didn't want to contemplate that, either. So even as his mind turned from his previous train of thought, he continued to think of the happenings between himself and Bakura.

He had told Bakura that he loved him numerous times. Usually, Bakura gave no response at all. If he did respond, it was with an admonishment, telling Mahes not to act so emotional.

Yet Mahes still said it to him on occasion, for sometimes, he felt that his heart would burst if he didn't. And as much as he ached and longed to hear those words back...he had somehow realized that it didn't really matter if Bakura ever returned his sentiments verbally. Because he already knew. It was in his every action, his every touch...

And then, at that moment, the subject of his thoughts entered the hideout.

Out of long habit, Mahes leapt up immediately, pulling Bakura into a crushing hug, and saying the familiar words.

"Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

"I had no trouble, as usual," said Bakura calmly.

Mahes drew away from him, giving him a sharp look. "As usual, you say? Have you already forgotten about _last_ time?"

"An anomaly," said Bakura, waving his hand and dismissing the topic seemingly without concern. "Anyways, I got a lot of good things this time- can you believe the valuable treasures that are wasted on the dead?"

Mahes looked at him dubiously. "Those things are meant to follow them into the afterlife, Bakura..."

"Oh, that's palace-talk," said Bakura flippantly. "Do you honestly believe that the gods care whom is buried with what? These things are much more useful to those of us who are still living."

Mahes simply shrugged, not really knowing the answer to that question. It had never occurred to him to give it much thought.

Finally, Mahes said, "Well...I suppose that makes sense."

"Of course it does," said Bakura.

Bakura then took his bag off of his shoulder and opened it.

"Here," said Bakura, looking downwards in a manner that would seem almost shy to anyone who didn't know Bakura. He reached into his pack, pulled something out, and then tossed it in Mahes's direction.

Mahes caught it easily- his reflexes had been honed well in his time with Bakura.

Mahes brought the object up in front of his face in order to examine it. "It looks like real gold..."

"Of _course_ it is," said Bakura proudly. "It's a gold armlet."

Bakura paused for a moment, then clarified. "For you."

And again, if Mahes hadn't known Bakura, he would have thought that the redness in his cheeks was from a slight blush, and not just a result of the desert heat that he must have been traversing through for at least several hours prior to his return.

"I love it," said Mahes unequivocally, smiling and slipping it on. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Bakura, still seeming unable to meet Mahes's eyes.

"Come here," said Mahes.

"What?" asked Bakura.

"I'm tired...I haven't been sleeping well...you know how I get when you're gone for a while," said Mahes, shifting on his feet. "You must be tired too...I'm sure you've done a lot since you've been out. Besides, it's almost night...come to bed?"

Bakura looked hesitant for an instant, but there was no logical reason to protest Mahes's suggestion, so he walked across the hideout and let Mahes wrap his arms around him and pull him down onto the bed.

And he had no reason to be surprised when Mahes began kissing him, and then began running his hands all over his body, gradually slipping off his clothing to get at his bare skin.

Bakura reacted against his own will, unable to help himself from kissing his partner deeply and arching into his touch.

And once Bakura had lost himself, as he always did when his partner did these things to him, Bakura couldn't seem to keep his own hands from roaming, exploring again the body that was always offered up to him so unhesitatingly.

Mahes held Bakura tightly, and kissed him softly. And when Bakura eventually broke from the embrace, rolling over onto his stomach and parting his legs ever so slightly, Mahes knew exactly what Bakura wanted, for he was used to Bakura speaking in body language instead of in words in these sorts of situations.

Mahes sat up, grabbing a bottle from the shelves near their bed. Then Mahes leaned back down, draping himself over Bakura's prostrate form. He sucked and bit at Bakura's neck, and a moment later he slid two well-oiled fingers inside of Bakura. By now, he was easily able to find the spot that he knew would drive Bakura crazy, and he bent his fingers to rub against it.

For the moment, Bakura resisted making any sound or movement. Mahes was quite determined to change that.

For some time, Mahes licked and sucked at Bakura's neck, continuing to stroke inside of him. Eventually, Mahes rose up, now kneeling behind Bakura, never ceasing the motion of his fingers. His other hand slid along Bakura's inner thigh, and now he could feel Bakura shivering with the effort of attempting to remain still. Mahes continued his ministrations until, unable to control himself any longer, Bakura began thrusting his hips up to meet Mahes's fingers.

"Oh, you're _very_ ready, aren't you?" Mahes whispered.

Bakura gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. And now there was no question about the blush staining Bakura's cheeks.

With a smirk that Bakura couldn't see, Mahes removed his fingers, coated himself with the oil, and slowly slid into Bakura's waiting body.

Mahes began to move, his body lying flush against Bakura's. Though he knew well what to do by now, he still wasn't quite over how good it felt to be inside his partner- at that moment, he wasn't sure that he ever would be- and he had to concentrate all his efforts to keep from finishing too quickly. So he started out slowly, gradually allowing himself to speed up.

When the muffled sounds of the one underneath him finally, thankfully told him that it was time, he grabbed Bakura by the hips and pulled him up so that Bakura was on his knees in front of him. He then reached around and wrapped a soft hand around Bakura's erection, eliciting an undignified yelp from his partner. He stroked in time with his thrusts, and it wasn't long before Bakura allowed a moan to escape him, letting Mahes know that he was coming hard. At that, Mahes finally allowed himself to release, and then he collapsed onto Bakura's back in exhausted satisfaction.

Mahes nuzzled against Bakura's neck, softly kissing the bruises left from his previous nips and bites, and he felt Bakura tremble underneath him.

"I love you," whispered Mahes. "So much."

And in that moment, Mahes suddenly realized the other reason why he continued to say those words to Bakura, despite the fact that he knew that he would never get a satisfactory response. It was because he understood, somehow, that there were times when Bakura desperately needed to hear him say it.


	9. Chapter 9

_Une vie qui s'est perdue_   
_En cherchant une juste revanche_

\- Waltz in Blue by Jean-Jacques Burnel

* * *

"It's time," said Bakura suddenly.

"Hm?" asked Mahes, distracted, having no idea what Bakura was referring to.

"It's time for me to go assault the palace and claim the Millennium items that are rightfully mine," said Bakura.

"What?" asked Mahes, suddenly alert.

"I'm old enough. I'm strong enough. I've perfected my skills at tomb robbing. I'm known all across the land. I hear the people whispering about me, when I'm disguised and walking among them. They fear me. My power and stealth are now legendary. Surely you yourself have heard them speak of me when you go out to the markets- the King of Thieves, they call me. I was waiting for the time when I would be the greatest thief alive, and now I am. So it is time."

Mahes was taken aback momentarily, for he had not wanted to believe that this time would come. But maybe, deep down, he had already realized that the time was fast approaching, because there were many nights recently when he had woken up- awoken by the awareness that Bakura wasn't beside him- and seen Bakura sitting on the other side of the room in flickering candlelight, studying the scroll that Mahes had stolen for him so many years ago.

"But...Bakura..." started Mahes.

"What?" asked Bakura, a sharp edge to his voice.

"It's just so dangerous," said Mahes helplessly. "And I don't want to lose-"

"Don't give me an argument!" snapped Bakura. "You've known since the start. This is my destiny."

And he had known. So Mahes gathered his courage and nodded sagely. "Then I will be by your side."

"No, you won't," said Bakura firmly. Mahes opened his mouth to protest, but Bakura cut him off. "This is not your fight. And frankly, Mahes, you would only slow me down. You're not as great a thief as I am. You are a petty thief, while I am a legendary one. If you tried to come with me and help me, I'd always have to be watching out for you, saving your ass, and I can't have that kind of burden-"

"Burden?" asked Mahes, indignant. "I'm a burden?"

"You know what I mean!" shouted Bakura. "I can't be looking out for you, the way I did in your first days of thievery. This is too important! I have sworn to free the souls of my people, and that is what I will do. I can't have you getting in the way of that."

"Is that all I am to you, then?" asked Mahes. "Someone who is in the way of the only thing you really care about?"

"Shut up!" yelled Bakura. "Just shut up! Stop making this harder for me! I told you, you've known since the first day you met me! You knew this day would come. I will avenge my people, and I will not have you screwing it up!"

"So, I'm just screwing up your destiny, am I?" asked Mahes. "Maybe you'd be better off if I'd never come, then. Is that what you wish? That you hadn't had to take care of me all these years? Even though it was you who refused to let me help you rob tombs and become as good at stealing as you are?"

"I admit, this is my own doing- I wouldn't allow you to help me rob tombs, so you never became truly adept at stealing. Yet this does not change the facts. You are not the thief that I am, and therefore you are not equipped to help me now. But there are others- others who are loyal to me- and they will come with me and join me in my fight."

"What others?" asked Mahes.

"It doesn't concern you," said Bakura flatly.

"So you have others- others you apparently trust more than me- to help you with this, and that doesn't concern me?" asked Mahes.

"No, it doesn't, because you will have no part of this, and it has nothing to do with trust," said Bakura.

"Then what does it have to do with?" asked Mahes.

But Bakura ignored him, turning his face to the side.

"So that's it, then?" asked Mahes. "You're going, and you're going without me?"

"Yes, that's it," said Bakura.

Bakura had intended to stop there, but then he looked at Mahes and saw him standing there, bewildered and dejected. And something in his mind beyond conscious thought compelled him to go on. "Look, Mahes, if you were with me, I'd be focused on protecting you, and I can't afford-"

"So _that's_ what this is about?" asked Mahes. "If I was with you, you'd prioritize protecting me over your mission?"

Bakura opened his mouth, then closed it. He seemed unable to come up with a response.

"So you finally admit it- you _do_ care about me," said Mahes, smiling a little despite the graveness of the situation.

"I didn't say that!" exclaimed Bakura defensively. "I just-"

"Bakura, I-I love you," said Mahes, unable hold back the words now, in light of what had already been said, and of Bakura's imminent departure. "I love you so much, and the thought of losing you is just-"

"Stop being so sentimental," said Bakura. "I've told you that a hundred times."

Mahes was used to hearing that response from Bakura, and normally, he took it in stride- but this time, the situation was different.

"Why do you always have to act like such a jerk?" asked Mahes, anger sparking in his eyes. "You're going on a mission from which you might never return, and even now, that's all you can say to me?"

"That's right," said Bakura. He stared at Mahes impassively, his expression hard and unemotional.

At that, the anger that Mahes already felt towards Bakura wanted to rage out of control. But another part of Mahes only felt helpless and lost and afraid- because he didn't want to leave things this way, because it might be the last time-

"Bakura, please," Mahes finally said, his eyes softening as he looked at Bakura imploringly. "If you're leaving, then at least-"

"Yes, I'm leaving, and I'm tired of arguing with you!" exclaimed Bakura, his patience for this conversation now entirely gone.

So Bakura turned to go, and Mahes stood behind him, dismay stunning him into silence.

At the last moment, Bakura turned back to Mahes and said, "If I survive, I'll be back." And then he left without another word.

"Bastard," Mahes growled. But he was talking to an empty room, because Bakura was already gone.

Maybe Mahes should have been used to waiting and worrying for Bakura by now- but this time, the stakes were much higher, and he knew it. The idea of sitting there by himself and waiting for days- weeks- possibly forever- was unbearable.

So Mahes reached for the wine on the shelf- wine that he'd bought at the market himself, using Bakura's ill-gotten gains to pay for it- and he drank until he couldn't think. And then he kept drinking until he couldn't keep his eyes open, his consciousness fading further and further away from him, and finally his mind was able to recede into a strange sleep in which he tossed and turned and always felt that he was partially awake.

But even this mild respite was brief. When he awoke fully, he was achy and nauseous and hot, feeling that every inch of his skin was on fire. Yet still, he did it all again, trying to blank out the thoughts in his mind. And the next day he did it again, and he didn't stop until his restless half-sleep was finally disturbed by the sound of someone entering the hideout.

"Bakura?" Mahes asked groggily, barely daring to hope. By sheer force of will, he was already beginning to pull himself out of his stupor, and he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Then he looked towards the door and saw that it _was_ him, after all, and suddenly he was fully alert. "Bakura..."

Bakura heard the hopeful tone in Mahes's voice, and didn't want to give the false impression that he was in the clear. So his first words upon his return were, "I'm not done yet- I have to go back. Tomorrow."

Mahes's face fell at this news, but his relief at seeing Bakura alive overwhelmed him, and so he gathered his strength and managed to say, "Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

So Bakura did.

"Well, first, I successfully raided the tomb of the Pharaoh," said Bakura. "And then I went to the palace. I fought my way inside with Diabound, and I found them- the new Pharaoh and his court. And each one of them was holding a Millennium item. And I told them-" Bakura paused for a moment and winced- "how the items were created. They acted as if they were surprised, as if they were horrified- and yet, they attacked me. They attacked me _using_ the items, the items made from the pain and suffering of _my_ people- they used them against me-" Bakura broke off and seemed unable to go on, his face twisting in some mixture of anger and sadness.

Instinct took over, and Mahes rushed to Bakura immediately, taking him into his arms. For the moment, Bakura allowed himself to be held. Mahes stroked his head soothingly.

"Do you know, they called _me_ evil..." Bakura said quietly.

"They're the evil ones...you're the one trying to do right," said Mahes, burying his face into Bakura's neck.

"I had to retreat," Bakura admitted then. "They- the _items_ were too powerful for me, even with Diabound. But I escaped. At least there's that much."

"And then you came back here?" asked Mahes.

"No," said Bakura, finally pulling away from the embrace. "I knew I had to find something that would help me- something to make me more powerful, so that I can succeed when I go back. So I went to rob another tomb, hoping to find something there. And I did...oh, yes, I did."

"What is it?" asked Mahes.

"That's what I wanted to tell you, because it's very important- not just for me, but for you, too," said Bakura.

Mahes gave him a questioning look.

"I thought the tomb would be empty of life," Bakura continued. "But there was a man in it. And he had a Millennium item. I had to kill him- I needed the item, and besides, he would have killed me if I hadn't killed him. So when he was dead, I took the item."

Bakura pulled out the item and held it in front of him so that Mahes could examine it. It was a golden ring with sharp points hanging around its edges. Mahes had only the vaguest recollection of having seen it before, long ago, when he had gone back to the palace to steal information for Bakura. But still, he knew what it was, even if he didn't really understand what it could do.

"So that's one item that is now where it belongs...with me," said Bakura. "And as much as I hate to use it, I know it can help me. It will give me power. The next time I go back to attack the palace, I'll have not only Diabound, but the power of this ring- the Millennium Ring."

"So you think you'll succeed next time?" asked Mahes. "In getting back the rest of the items from the Pharaoh's court?"

"Well, if I don't-" Bakura started. Then he seemed to change the subject. "How long has it been since I thanked you for bringing me that scroll with information on the Millennium items?"

"Never," said Mahes, smiling a bit.

Bakura smiled back. "Well, I should have, because the information I learned from it is unimaginably helpful, now that I possess an item. I know the Ring's powers- I know how to best use it to help me when I go to assault the palace a second time. And I know how it can save me if I happen to fail."

"Save you?" asked Mahes, hopeful.

"Yes...you see, the Millennium items have the power to house spirits. If things look hopeless- if I know I'm going to be defeated- then I can seal my soul inside this very Ring. Then, I won't die- my spirit will live on. You understand that I can't afford to die, Mahes- not before my quest is complete. If I die, and I'm reincarnated, I'll have no memory of my life goal. My vengeance will never be taken. But with my soul living on inside the Ring, I'll never forget. I'll know what I have to do, and I'll be able to wait for the right time to finish what I started. I'll be able to wait as long as I have to."

"But what can you do from inside...there?" asked Mahes, inclining his head towards the Ring in a questioning manner.

"That's another thing I've learned from your scroll. When someone willingly puts the Ring around his neck, then I'll be able to take over that person's body. I'll be able to speak through him, to control his movements- to do whatever I want," said Bakura. "And the Ring has the power to hone in on other Millennium items. It will lead me to the other items, and I will be able to collect them as I've always planned, using the body of whoever willingly takes this Ring."

Mahes shivered a little. "That's a bit creepy, isn't it?" he asked. "Taking over someone's body, using them against their will, like a- like a puppet- it just doesn't seem right..."

"I will do what I have to do," said Bakura adamantly.

Seeing Mahes's look of slight disapproval, Bakura continued hastily. "Besides, I won't hurt the person. It wouldn't benefit me to hurt him, anyways. I'll need his body for my purposes, so there would be no sense in damaging it."

"Alright, Bakura," said Mahes. There were many things that he'd learned to accept during his life with Bakura, and he supposed he could accept this, as well- especially if it meant that Bakura would survive. "If this can save you- keep you from dying- then it's worth it. I don't know what I'd do if you left again and you didn't come back-"

"Mahes," interrupted Bakura, "if it comes to that- if I have to save myself by sealing my soul into the Ring- I can't promise you that I'll be coming back here. I don't know how long it will take for someone worthy to get the Ring and put it on. The Ring can only be held by someone of great will. A weak person who tries to wear the Ring will die. It could be lifetimes before-"

"Lifetimes?" Mahes asked, looking horrified.

"Mahes, remember when I said that this item is of great importance to you, as well as to me?"

Mahes nodded numbly.

"Let's- let's take a walk, alright? I'll explain on the way," said Bakura.

Mahes cocked his head, his eyes questioning Bakura about the meaning of this.

"I...regret the way I left last time," Bakura finally admitted. "I want to do this differently."

That was about the closest Bakura had ever come to apologizing for anything in his entire life. So Mahes, confused though he was, agreed to Bakura's request, and they walked out of the hideout together. Ra was dipping low in the sky, and the colors of the sunset might have looked beautiful to Mahes if his mind hadn't been so very troubled. As the two walked alongside each other, Bakura reached out and grabbed Mahes's hand, and Mahes interlocked his fingers with Bakura's automatically, feeling slightly comforted by the simple contact.

After they had walked for a while, hand in hand, Bakura began to speak again.

"As I said, I can't promise I'll be coming back here. But no matter what happens, someday, even if it takes lifetimes, I'll be able to find _you_ again. Because my spirit will be in the Ring, and I'll remember you, and I will find you in your reincarnated form."

"But- but how will you find me?" Mahes asked, forlorn and completely confused.

"All of this, I have learned from the information you stole," said Bakura. "You see, the items tend to be bound to those who were first close to them. When the members of the Pharaoh's court die, their reincarnated forms can't help but be close to the items. Now, you know as well as I do that loved family members tend to be reincarnated together. You will be reincarnated near your sister, because you two care for each other. Your sister is the first holder of the Millennium Tauk, so she will be near the Millennium items in all her lives to come. I'll use the Ring to track down the Millennium items, and where I find the items, I will eventually find you."

"Bakura!" Mahes burst out. "You're talking about leaving me alone for the rest of my life! I can't- and even if- how can I know that you'll be able to find me?"

Mahes looked near panic, and Bakura stopped walking and grabbed him by his arms. "Mahes, I've told you before that I don't make many promises, but when I do, I keep them. And I am promising you that I will always find my way back to you."

Mahes's eyes were downcast. Finally, he said, "How- how will you even know me, if I've been reincarnated into another body?"

"I will always know you," said Bakura quietly. He tilted his head back, staring at the tiny points of light just beginning to appear in the sky.

"I don't want to wait lifetimes to see you again," said Mahes in weak, resigned protest. He slipped out of Bakura's grasp, sinking down onto the ground.

Bakura sat down next to him, and Mahes felt Bakura's strong arms come up to encircle his body. "Souls are eternal. A lifetime or two is nothing," said Bakura.

"You really don't know if you're coming back for me in this lifetime, do you?" asked Mahes quietly. Bakura didn't answer. There was no need. Mahes's body began to shake, and Bakura knew that Mahes had started to cry silently.

"Shh," said Bakura, holding him tighter. "Don't think. Don't think."

Bakura tilted his head to the side and kissed the tears from Mahes's cheeks. "Don't think," he repeated again. He brushed his fingers over Mahes's face, and then leaned in and kissed Mahes's lips gently.

Soft, almost reverent kisses slowly became deeper and more passionate, and Bakura's hands began wandering. His fingers slipped underneath Mahes's robe to rub along his bare shoulders, just after his tongue had slipped into Mahes's mouth. Soon, Mahes was indeed finding it very hard to think.

And eventually, when Bakura laid him down and made love to him underneath the stars, Mahes found it completely impossible to think.

When it was over, Mahes drifted off to sleep, mentally and physically exhausted. And Bakura picked up his body and carried him back to their home, making sure to tread softly so as not to wake him up.

Back in the hideout, Bakura laid Mahes down gently on their bed. A part of him wanted to climb into bed himself and spend one more night close to his partner. But he didn't want to be there when Mahes woke up. He wanted Mahes's last memory of him to be as it was. He had already said goodbye to Mahes in the only way he knew how- in the morning there would only be fighting and awkwardness and tears when he had to leave. So he kissed Mahes gently on the forehead, and forced himself to stand up and walk away.

He left the hideout with a thief's trademark silence, knowing he wouldn't awaken his sleeping partner. Bakura was exhausted himself after all he'd been through in the last few days, but he forced himself to walk for a while before finding a place to shelter himself. Then he laid down to sleep by himself, cold and alone on the ground.

He knew what awaited him the next day, and he was ready for it- he had spent almost his entire life readying himself for it. Maybe, he thought, he would be lucky, and he could succeed and return to Mahes. And if not- well, he'd planned for that.

He hadn't told Mahes that he'd made a deal with a demon. Or that a part of the demon's soul already inhabited the Millennium Ring that he now carried. But it didn't matter. One way or another, he would have his vengeance, no matter how long it took. And then everything would be alright. Everything. He let that thought carry him to sleep. He needed rest for what was to come.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that takes place in ancient Egypt. So I'll warn you that there will be character death and violence in this chapter. But it's alright! We all know that Bakura and Marik meet up again in the future, so you'll see them both alive and well later on in the fic.

_I would die for you_   
_I would kill for you_   
_I will steal for you_

\- #1 Crush by Garbage  


* * *

Mahes awoke after what felt like a very long sleep. There was a moment of disorientation, when he reached out and found that Bakura was not there...but then he remembered the events of the night before. He realized that it was not surprising that Bakura was already gone. After all, Bakura had said that he was leaving the next day. It would be just like him to leave before Mahes woke up.

At that, Mahes stretched and stumbled out of bed. He opened the door to check on Ra's position in the sky. Yes, he saw, he had definitely been asleep for many hours. In a way, he was shocked that he'd managed to sleep for such a long time, what with all the worries about Bakura that were weighing his mind. On the other hand, it wasn't really surprising that he'd been passed out for such a long time; he'd gone days without any truly restful sleep, and his body had needed to recharge.

Dismissing these thoughts, he shut the door and turned around. He supposed he could sit in the hideout and wait and worry and wonder if Bakura was coming back. But he was so tired of doing that. So very, very tired of it.

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Mahes got dressed in the best robes that he possessed. Looking down at himself, he realized something. He intended to follow Bakura to the palace. Whether Bakura liked it or not.

But then a more rational part of his mind spoke up. Bakura clearly had a head start on him. And would Bakura go to the palace on foot? No, he wouldn't; if Mahes knew Bakura, Bakura would surely steal a horse and ride to the palace...especially if he had compatriots who would be helping him. They would be going on horseback, and that meant that they probably would have already arrived at the palace long ago.

Mahes could still attempt to run off to the palace and follow Bakura...but what if Mahes got to the palace, got caught trying to break in, and was killed...and then it turned out that by that time, Bakura had already accomplished what he'd set out to do? That certainly wouldn't do either of them any good.

As he was thinking, Mahes's stomach growled, and he realized with annoyance that he was incredibly hungry, and that there was virtually no food in the hideout. Normally, he would go to the market and get some food, but under the circumstances...

Annoyance suddenly turned to inspiration. Mahes could go to the market- and not just for food. Gossip traveled fast around these parts, and an event as important as the King of Thieves attacking the palace would certainly not take long to pass from the lips of one commoner to another. He didn't need to sit at home and wait to find out how things with Bakura had gone...he could go out and discover the information for himself.

Mahes made sure to fill his pockets with gold before he left. Since Bakura had been stealing expensive treasures from tombs, Mahes no longer had any need to lift things from the market. He could pay for whatever he needed with the precious metals that Bakura had taken from the tombs that he had broken into.

And this was definitely a good thing, especially in this situation. Mahes could appear to be a well-off person with plenty of spending money. He would not have to sneak around as a pickpocket or thief. This would help him obtain the information that he wanted.

And so Mahes left the hideout, resplendent in deep purple robes and golden jewelry, with his pockets full of valuable gold and silver pieces. And then he started his trek across the desert to the market.

He had not neglected to wear the golden armlet that Bakura had stolen for him on a previous expedition. The gold circlet seemed to burn against his arm, never allowing him to forget the purpose of this mission. But he threw up the hood of his dark purple robe, protecting his face from the sun, and tried to forget all thoughts of what this meant, and what might be coming for him.

As he traversed the seemingly endless desert, his mind turned inwards on itself more and more, gradually blanking out and disallowing any thought. Eventually, he was almost in a state of self-hypnosis as he walked across the desert. The sun-heated sand flowed over his sandals as his feet dragged themselves along without his urging.

Time passed, and finally, the sight of the market in front of him brought him out of his trance. As he entered, he threw back his hood and held his head high, playing his role.

He decided that it might be best to casually ask a vendor for news while he was making a transaction. His eyes darted around until he saw a vendor selling food, and he made his way over.

He walked up to the stall with confidence. Throwing some pieces of gold on the table, he requested some duck meat. It was expensive, but he could easily afford it. The vendor weighed the gold and then handed over the meat.

Mahes grabbed the meat and then started to ask the vendor for news of what had been going on in the kingdom. But he suddenly felt as if his tongue were glued to the roof of his mouth. The words seemed to get stuck in his throat as he realized that the answer to this question could mean absolutely everything to him- this could be the moment when he found out that Bakura was coming home to him...or the moment when he found out that Bakura was dead. When he attempted to speak, all that came out was a choked sound.

"Anything else?" asked the vendor.

Looking confused, Mahes merely shook his head and wandered away.

As he walked through the market, he began eating the meat thoughtlessly, inwardly cursing himself for acting so foolish. The news was whatever it was- waiting to find out wouldn't change anything.

Besides, there may not even _be_ any news. For all he knew, Bakura hadn't reached the palace yet...or the battle could still be going on...or the news may not have reached the people yet. Despite his earlier desperation to know Bakura's fate, this thought made him feel better. It was probable that no one would even have anything to tell him yet.

But still, he had to ask. He'd come this far. He may as well get it over with.

He had finished with the meat, and he carelessly discarded the bones onto the ground as he approached a vendor who was selling fruit.

When he reached the table, he simultaneously chose a piece of fruit and laid a silver piece on the table. As he took a bite of the fruit, the vendor nodded curtly and made the silver piece disappear.

Mahes prepared to ask his question, realizing that he would have to tread a bit carefully here. If news hadn't reached the people yet, then he couldn't give the impression that he knew too much.

He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, and finally said in a confidential voice, "I heard rumors that the Thief King was going to attack the palace again, after being driven off the last time he tried it."

"Where have _you_ been?" the vendor said incredulously.

Mahes was taken aback, and the vendor laughed at his shocked expression.

"It seems you're a bit behind on the times, my friend. Do you not even know that we have a new Pharaoh?"

"Do you mean...that the King of Thieves killed Pharaoh Atem?" Mahes was very careful to make sure he sounded aghast at this thought.

The vendor looked slightly amused. "I know the event is quite recent, but I thought a person of your obvious standing would already know...the whole kingdom is buzzing about it."

Mahes looked at him impassively.

"I mean no offense," the vendor said quickly. "And I know this must be a shock for you, to suddenly learn that our former Pharaoh has passed on to the afterlife. It's a sad event indeed."

"Yes," agreed Mahes, nodding in what he hoped was a solemn way. "And then what of the Thief King? Did he escape again?"

"Oh, fear not- and do not doubt the justice of the gods!" the vendor exclaimed. "Pharaoh Atem took the so-called King of Thieves to death along with him."

Mahes froze, feeling as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice water. He made no response, but the vendor continued to ramble on. Mahes barely heard a word he said.

"It's terrible that Pharaoh Atem died in such a way, of course, but now the Thief King will plague our kingdom no longer. And I'm sure Anubis will not weigh the heart of that tomb robber so favorably as he weighs the heart of our late, brave Pharaoh, who fought to protect us all from that criminal. So, you see, though there is much to be sad for, there is much to celebrate as well. Our new ruler, the great Pharaoh Set, is sure to bring about an era of peace and prosperity."

Mahes registered only that the vendor seemed to be done with his spiel. Without a word, he turned and walked off, his eyes blank and unseeing.

The vendor looked after him, shaking his head in sympathy, assuming that the young man was shocked and distraught to learn so suddenly that Pharaoh Atem had died.

Mahes had no conscious idea of what he was going to do. In fact, his conscious thought seemed to have ceased altogether, and he moved along with seemingly no forethought, staring ahead with deadened eyes.

But apparently, a deeper instinct had taken over, and his body knew where to take him. After a time, he found himself standing near a stable, reaching into his pockets and emptying them of all he had. Every piece of precious metal that he carried was sifted through his fingers and into the hands of the man who now stood before him.

"Give me the fastest horse that this will buy," Mahes said tonelessly, virtually unaware that he was speaking.

The horse dealer was frightened by the odd demeanor of the hooded stranger, who seemed to have an aura of blackness surrounding him, seeping out of every inch of his skin. The dealer quickly brought out his best steed, and was quite relieved to see the stranger ride away into the oncoming night.

As the hooves of his new horse pounded out a rhythm on the sand, Mahes's mind slowly began to come back from whatever faraway place it had been. As his thoughts caught up to his actions, he became aware of where he was, and what he was going to do.

The man at the market had said that Bakura had been killed. Mahes hadn't even realized it at the time, but as soon as he'd heard the information, several things had clicked in his mind.

Bakura had told him that if things looked hopeless and he was about to be killed, then he would seal his soul inside the Millennium Ring so that he wouldn't completely die.

Which meant that Bakura's soul was inside the Millennium Ring...and the Ring was inside the palace.

Which meant that Mahes was going to the palace to steal the Millennium Ring.

Bakura had thought that it may take lifetimes before he found one strong enough to hold the Millennium Ring. But Mahes was strong. Once he got that Ring, then it would be his body in which Bakura's soul resided.

There was always the possibility that Bakura had failed completely- that he had both lost the fight and had been killed before he was able to seal his soul as he planned. But Mahes couldn't consider that possibility. It was unthinkable- and besides, he trusted Bakura's skills enough to believe that, at the very least, he'd managed to carry out his backup plan.

So Mahes rode on, his blonde hair flowing out behind him as the wind ran through it, and he urged the horse forwards ever faster.

His thoughts were still somewhat jumbled by the time the palace came into sight, but he was coherent enough to realize that a frontal assault wouldn't be wise- he had no great power at his beck and call, as Bakura had.

So when he got close enough, he brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. He then slipped away into the darkness on foot, hidden by the cover of night as he headed for one of the back entrances of the palace that he remembered from when he was a child.

He approached with stealth, looking carefully for any signs of trouble. He saw one immediately.

A guard was standing there. It wasn't surprising, really- after all that had happened recently, it made sense that the new Pharaoh had decided to post more guards.

But this guard seemed to be almost dozing. That wasn't particularly surprising, either- the guards were probably a mere precaution, mostly put there for show. The people likely believed that all threats to the kingdom's safety were now gone. The guards probably were not very worried about anything happening while they were on duty, and were not taking their jobs terribly seriously as a result.

Mahes thought, with a glint in his eyes, that this particular guard would come to regret that assumption.

Mahes paled suddenly as he wondered if he really meant to go through with it- was he going to attack this guard? Kill him if necessary?

His own mind answered him immediately. Yes. He would try to avoid killing the man, but he would do it if he had to. Bakura would have done it for him. Bakura _had_ done similar things in the name of freeing the souls of his people. Mahes had always been slightly uncomfortable with that, but now he understood fully. Sometimes, you did whatever you had to do if your cause was important enough.

In his previous frenzy, Mahes hadn't thought to buy any weapons. But that was alright. The guard had a spear. And he was practically sleeping on the job. Mahes approached silently, the soft sand muffling his footfalls. He was very close now.

Running on pure instinct, he grabbed the spear from the guard, and then slammed his own body into the guard's. The guard, half-asleep and totally unsuspecting, toppled easily under Mahes's weight. In mere moments, Mahes had the point of the spear at the guard's throat.

The guard was certainly awake now, his eyes wide and terrified.

"Where is the Millennium Ring?" Mahes hissed. "Lead me to it, and I'll let you live."

"Don't kill me!" the guard screamed.

The guard began thrashing around, but it was pure panic- he was using none of his training. So Mahes was easily able to hold him fast, keeping the sharp point at his throat.

"Shut up, and I won't have to," said Mahes with a coldness he hadn't known he was capable of.

The guard's eyes suddenly flicked away, looking at something behind Mahes. Automatically, Mahes turned his body away slightly, following the guard's gaze.

That was when a sharp pain ripped through Mahes's shoulder. He winced, squeezing his eyes shut as he struggled to hold his position. But his arm could no longer support his weight, and he knew he was about to fall on top of the guard. The guard took this opportunity to seize him by the arms, tossing him aside.

As Mahes hit the ground, the pain flared again, and he struggled to figure out what was happening. He opened his eyes to see another guard standing some distance away, a bow raised in front of him. Mahes suddenly understood what had just taken place.

Then both guards were on him, turning him face down in the sand and holding him there. He tried to move, but even if he hadn't been wounded, he would not have been able to fight off the two burly guards who were now forcing him down with all their strength. Then Mahes felt another terrible, searing pain as one of the guards ripped the arrow out of his body, tearing some of his flesh away along with it. His scream was completely ignored by the guards.

"Good thing he moved and gave me a clear shot at him."

"Yes, I owe you my life. He would have killed me if you hadn't heard me yell out."

"I was only doing my job. Now, what should we do with him?"

"I know what _I'd_ like to do with him. The bastard was going to murder me!"

"I understand how you feel. But don't you think this is a matter for Pharaoh Set to handle?"

"Should we really trouble him with this, after all that's happened lately? I say we take care of this ourselves. It will allow the Pharaoh to rest more easily if he doesn't know of this attack."

"Well, I suppose you make a good point. But let's do it quickly. We shouldn't leave our posts for long. And if something like this should happen again..."

"Oh, I agree. If it happens again, we'll go straight to the Pharaoh. But this may be an isolated incident...no need to worry everyone."

"Alright, help me lug this criminal out into the desert, then. We can't just leave him lying close to the palace for anyone to find."

At that, the two guards grabbed Mahes by the arms and began dragging him along. The agony this caused to his wounded shoulder engulfed his entire mind, preventing any kind of coherent thought.

After what seemed like a very long time, but was probably only a few minutes, Mahes was dropped again. He felt a heavy weight on his back as one of the guards sat on top of him, making sure he was truly immobilized.

The other guard pulled his knife from its sheath and placed it onto Mahes's ankle.

"This is for trying to murder me, and for being a traitor to the kingdom."

As the knife slid into his ankle, Mahes somehow found the strength to scream again.

"Consider yourself lucky. You'd get more than a single foot cut off if we brought you before the Pharaoh."

Pain consumed him entirely, and Mahes was no longer sure if he was screaming aloud, or if the shrieks were only inside his own head. It seemed to go on forever, but finally his consciousness drained out of him along with his blood, and he seemed to float away from the present situation as he passed out.

Mahes felt a strange sensation. He was moving forwards, but he was not walking- in fact, his feet were not even touching the ground. He was confused for a moment, but then his mind quickly jumped to the conclusion that he was riding on a horse. He realized then that he was indeed sitting atop something, and that his legs were straddling the thing that he was riding upon. Though his feet were not on the ground, they were resting on something- some kind of stirrups, maybe. Yes, he thought- he was on a horse, obviously. That was the only logical deduction.

But then he noticed that this animal was moving him along far more smoothly than a horse ever could- there was absolutely no sense of the upwards and downwards motion that he would feel if it was a horse that was galloping onwards underneath him. And that was not even the most important thing. This animal was moving much, much faster than any horse could possibly be capable of. He did not know of anything in Egypt that could move this quickly.

In some corner of his mind, it occurred to him that he ought to be frightened to be hurtling along at such a high speed. But he was not afraid in the least- in fact, he felt exhilarated. He felt free. This was nothing but the most natural feeling in the world. He loved the feeling of the wind against his face, and the sound of- but what was that noise, anyways? It sounded like a thousand buzzing insects, only a million times louder.

He tried to look down then, to see what he was really sitting on. But somehow, it was unclear to him. He caught a flash of red, but it wavered in front of his vision, as if he were looking at a mirage.

Confusion washed over him, but then all of his questions immediately flew from his mind as he heard a voice speak from directly behind him.

"The road has been long," the voice said.

He didn't need to turn to know who was speaking.

"Bakura," he said gratefully, relief and happiness flooding through him.

Then he realized that Bakura's strong arms were locked tightly around his waist- they had been the entire time. How could he have not noticed before?

"It's a good thing I found you," Bakura said.

And then Mahes's head was filled with a horrible screeching sound, as if a hundred birds were crying directly into his ears, and suddenly there was a sensation of vertigo, and then he was falling, falling...

Mahes awoke with a jolt, covered in a cold sheen of sweat.

For a moment, he had no idea where he was. He only knew that he felt a sense of complete peace. Bakura was coming for him...Bakura would find him.

Then he was abruptly aware of the pain in his shoulder blade, sharp and bright. Had he hurt his shoulder in the fall?

What fall? he asked himself, as his mind gradually swam back to reality.

The fall off of the...the...

But he couldn't remember. The dream was fading, and he was coming back to himself.

Suddenly, his ankle screamed in pain, and there was a burning, itching, stinging sensation at the bottom of his leg that caused him an agony beyond anything he could have imagined before this day. He realized with a kind of horror that he couldn't feel his foot...

With effort, he forced himself to open his eyes, but saw only a blur of red and yellow. He concentrated, and as his vision slowly came back into focus, he saw that he was lying out in the desert. There was sand in front of his eyes, but much of it was stained with red. Could that be blood?

And then it all came back to him.

He had tried to steal the Millennium Ring- but he had failed. Of course he had failed. He was merely a petty thief, as Bakura had told him. The guards had caught him, tortured him, and left him for dead in the desert.

Something pulled at the corner of his mind. The vision...the scene of himself and Bakura together again. He could barely remember it now, but...

But it had only been a dream.

Maybe his own mind- his subconscious- had been trying to comfort him in death, to allow him to die with the notion that he and Bakura would be together again. Yet he had awoken from the dream to see the truth of the situation...

There was anger now, hot and fervent...not for the fact that he would soon die, but for the fact that he hadn't been allowed to die while he was still within his dream. He wished that he could have died while he was dreaming, while he could still believe that Bakura would come for him...but the gods had not allowed that. Why, why?

His own mind answered him with memories of the religious teachings of his youth. Why would the gods allow such a comfort in death for a thief and attempted murderer who loved a tomb robber?

And of course that was it. He knew now that his sacrilege had doomed him to die alone...to die without a proper burial, to die as one who had gone against Maat...and therefore to die with the knowledge that he would be consumed by Ammit, never to return to this world, and never to find Bakura again.

He heard the cries of the vultures that circled his body. He saw his blood continuing to spread across the sand. As the life relentlessly drained out of him, his thoughts became more fuzzy and disconnected.

And still a part of his mind cried out that it wasn't fair...tomb robber or not, Bakura had done what he'd done in retribution for those unjustly murdered. And Mahes had acted based on his own sense of justice, and his love for another.

But if the gods cared for any of these things, they gave no indication, for Mahes shivered with cold in the scorching desert heat as his body gave out. And though his last thoughts were of Bakura, there was no hope in his mind, but only despair, as his fingers clutched fruitlessly a final time against the sand, and then were still.

The scavengers descended upon the body, grateful in their own way for the fresh meal that had been provided.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ancient Egypt arc of this fic is over, and this chapter picks up in the modern day part of the canon, starting with season 0. Back in the first chapter, I said that this fic would hit upon many canon events. In the AE arc, there weren't as many canon events to explore, because much of Thief King Bakura's life isn't covered in the canon. But now that we're up to the modern day part of the canon, this fic will be much more centered around canon events.
> 
> I always intended this fic to be a sort of "what you didn't see" type of fic- something that both filled in the gaps between canon events, and also explained the characters' feelings about canon events. So I'll be talking about canon events- sometimes in detail- when those events are things that I feel are relevant to the main characters' development. I'm trying to keep this as canon-compliant as I can, so things in this fic that happen "in between" canon events will be things that technically could have happened without breaking canon.

"There are some crimes so horrific that if you survive, the only justice is revenge." - "I Spit on Your Grave (Day of the Woman)" 2010 remake tagline

* * *

There was a flash of light, and suddenly, he could see the world again.

Bakura knew what that meant. A few times before, a person had found the Ring- a person strong enough to hold it- and Bakura's soul had thus been released into the person's body.

But each time it had happened before, Bakura had soon found that it was not the right time, and not the right person, and that his time to collect the Millennium items had not yet come. Oh, he had tried- but it was no use. He knew now that he would not be able to resume his mission until the Pharaoh returned. And he had no idea when the Pharaoh would return. Bakura didn't even know how long he'd been waiting. It was difficult to keep track of time when the large majority of it was spent trapped alone with a demon inside of an item made from death. He only knew that it had been long and long.

But, as with every time he got a new vessel, hope arose within him. Maybe this was the time. Maybe it was finally time to complete his quest...and to find his partner.

Sometimes, in the seemingly eternal darkness and solitude of the Ring, Bakura had found it difficult just to keep his thoughts straight. He struggled now to pull his mind together. He had to be alert; he had to find out if the time for his vengeance had finally come.

The one that had taken the Ring this time was a teenage boy. He had immediately had a good feeling about this one...but that could have just been wishful thinking. So he waited inside the boy, looking through the eyes, waiting for an answer.

He had felt a jolt the first time he'd heard his own name.

"Bakura..."

Had someone recognized him somehow? But that was impossible...

For a reason he could not comprehend, the boy he inhabited immediately responded to the name.

Bakura had no idea what was going on, and he reeled with confusion.

But soon, he discovered what it was all about. Apparently, the body he now inhabited was named Bakura Ryou.

And wasn't that an odd coincidence? So much so that it couldn't possibly be a mere coincidence.

"Bakura" had been quite an odd name in ancient Egypt. He had never heard of anyone else who had his name. His own parents couldn't quite explain why they had named him "Bakura."

"It just felt right," his mother had said, shrugging.

"Maybe the gods wanted us to give him this name," his father had said.

His mother had scoffed at that. She had never had much faith in the gods. She had always been the more skeptical of the two...from what little Bakura could remember of her.

But maybe his father had been right. Maybe this had been ordained since the moment of his birth. Maybe, from the start of his life, he was meant to eventually live in the body of this Bakura Ryou, and to fulfill his destiny through him.

For a time, he hid inside the boy, wanting to learn more about the new body that he now inhabited. And learn things he did.

He learned that the boy was polite, and shy, and unassuming. And he wondered at the fact that such a meek creature would be able to hold the Ring...yet the boy must have had a hidden strength. Otherwise, attempting to wear the Ring would have burned him alive, as it had others before him.

Bakura also learned that the body that he now inhabited had lost his mother and his sister in a car crash. And that his vessel's father was constantly away on business, ignoring his son almost completely. His vessel was practically an orphan- a child with no real family- like Bakura himself had been.

And with this, he felt a surge of empathy. But he pushed it down, because he was not sure yet. Not sure if this body was the right one.

He had also learned that Ryou was actually the boy's first name, not his last. Bakura was now in a different time and a different culture. In this culture, apparently, the familial name was said first, while the given name was said last. It was the last name of Bakura's new vessel that matched his own first name.

But he did not believe that this changed the significance of it. He wondered briefly if the boy was a descendent of his. He wondered this even more when Bakura Ryou stepped in front of a mirror, and Bakura looked through the eyes of his vessel and saw for the first time what his new body looked like. There weren't many similarities...but there was the hair. The boy had long white hair. While not exactly the same color as his own light gray hair from his previous life, it was similar, and it was quite a rarity to have such a hair color.

Could it truly be possible that this boy was a descendant of his family line? Of course, he had never had any children of his own. And obviously, his village had been destroyed, and he had been the only one left. But it wasn't as if everyone who had ever lived in his village had stayed there for life. It was entirely possible that he'd had great grandparents, or distant cousins, or aunts and uncles who had left the village before the destruction- people he didn't remember, but who had gone away and spread the genes of his family.

So was this boy his destiny? A part of his family line? Or a combination of both?

He didn't know, but he felt more and more sure that this was the right one- the one he'd been meant to find all along.

It wasn't long before his slight doubts about whether this boy was the one he was meant for were totally assuaged. Because he soon learned that Bakura Ryou was acquainted with another teenager- one who also possessed a Millennium item. The two went to the same hall of learning- a school, is what it was called.

Of course, the Ring gave Bakura the power to detect other Millennium items. But there was more than that. With the power of the Ring, he could sense presences- he could reach out with his own ba, and know the soul of the one who held the other item.

And this other teen, the one who went to school with his vessel- Mutou Yugi, the other was called- held the Millennium Puzzle. And inside the Millennium Puzzle was the soul of Pharaoh Atem. Even if Bakura hadn't been able to use the power of the Ring to sense the soul of the Pharaoh, he would have known it, because the Pharaoh had sealed himself inside the Puzzle before Bakura's own death, and Bakura had witnessed it. Though Atem had not been responsible for the murder of his village- Atem must have been only a child at the time, for he was the son of the Pharaoh who ruled when Bakura's village was destroyed- Pharaoh Atem had known about it by the end. Bakura himself had told Pharaoh Atem before the final battle. And still Pharaoh Atem had attacked Bakura, eventually weakening him to the point where he'd been forced to seal his own soul inside the Ring, condemning him to wait in darkness for millennia.

Bakura could feel the closeness between Yugi and the Pharaoh. He could feel how much Yugi wanted to help the Pharaoh. And for this, he hated Yugi almost as much as he hated the Pharaoh.

And anger flashed in Bakura's soul- not at the Pharaoh, nor at this Yugi person, but at his own vessel. Because he could feel that his vessel thought of this teen- this Yugi- as a friend. Could it be that his new body- the one who had always been meant for only him to possess- wanted to help the Pharaoh, and the new body that the Pharaoh possessed? Despite the fact that he and his vessel shared similar looks, a similar past, and possibly a shared ancestry? How could the gods condemn him to such a fate?

And, yes, his anger was at the gods, really- how could he be angry at this body that he possessed? This body that was nothing to him other than a means to get his revenge? Why should he wish to have the same closeness with his vessel that the Pharaoh had with his?

_Because it's beneficial_ , Bakura answered himself. If he could get his vessel on his side...get this body to help him, and turn him against the Pharaoh...

And so, he went into the mind of his vessel, and began speaking to him there. Bakura told the boy of his past, of the murder of his family. He spoke of his pain, and of his great sense of loss. These feelings were things that he had only ever confided to Mahes. But it meant nothing- it was only manipulation. The fact that he and this boy had a similar past was only a thing that he could use to create sympathy and bend the boy to his purposes.

It had been so long since Bakura had had anyone to talk to. But still, this was all part of the plan, and nothing else.

And Ryou- after these conversations, Bakura had started to think of his vessel as "Ryou," but only to avoid confusion, he told himself- was easy to manipulate in this way. For Ryou did feel sympathy for Bakura's plight, just as Bakura had planned.

Bakura continued to learn more about Ryou. Apparently, Ryou had been quite interested in the dark arts and the occult before Bakura had come along.

_How do you like the dark arts now, Ryou?_

It was only another thing that the two had in common. And still it meant nothing, aside from being another way to draw closer to the boy and manipulate his will. After all, a person who was not possessed of such an interest in the dark arts might not react so calmly when he was spoken to by an ancient spirit that he was lodging in his body.

Ryou thought of Bakura as "the voice," which Bakura found slightly amusing. Far less amusing was the fact that Bakura had begun to think of Ryou as his landlord, as opposed to merely a vessel, a body that he could use.

And still, even with all his efforts, Bakura could not totally pull Ryou away from his so-called friendship with Yugi and Yugi's other school friends. It was quite obvious to Bakura that Ryou was merely a hanger-on- not part of the inner circle, however desperately Ryou wanted to be. Yet Ryou seemed oblivious to this fact.

_They don't really care about you, Ryou._

And Bakura had almost said, "But I do." But that wasn't true; his landlord was just a tool to him, that was all.

Yet Bakura had delved deeper into Ryou's mind, trying to see why Ryou was so attached to these "friends" of his. A useless activity, but he was curious. And then, in searching the depths of Ryou's mind, Bakura found that his landlord _did_ know- Ryou knew that he was an outsider, one who didn't truly fit into the group. And Bakura discovered that Ryou's greatest wish was to always be with his friends and to play with them forever.

And soon, Bakura was presented with an opportunity to give this to Ryou- in a way that would benefit the both of them.

Ryou had been playing a game with his friends, and Bakura had taken over the body and attempted to turn all of Ryou's friends- including Yugi- into dolls. To Bakura, it seemed to be the perfect solution- something that would make both himself and Ryou happy. The Pharaoh would be powerless this way, which would be good for Bakura. And Ryou could have his friends in his possession, able to play with them whenever he wanted. Ryou could control them, and no longer be an outsider- and that would be good for Ryou.

_Now you can play with your friends forever, Ryou. Just like you've always wanted._

And yet, somehow, this was not acceptable to his vessel. Even if Bakura hadn't felt it in Ryou's mind, he would have known it by Ryou's actions, for Ryou tried to regain control of the body during the game.

Bakura tried to retain control of the body, to do what was best for both of them.

But Ryou had shown his inner strength- the strength he must have possessed all along, for he would not have been able to survive holding the Ring without it- and Ryou had overridden Bakura and taken control of one of the body's hands.

Ryou had used the hand to purposefully fumble dice rolls, knowingly ruining Bakura's plan. Outraged, and not understanding why his own landlord would betray him so, Bakura had used all his will to stab his- their- hand onto a spire on the game board, impaling it. But all Bakura's efforts came to nothing, for in the end, Bakura failed, and all of Ryou's "friends"- including Yugi- were freed from their imprisonment within the dolls.

Bakura didn't understand why Ryou had done this- why was Ryou not grateful for his effort to allow him to keep his friends forever?

But this was a pointless question, and trying to consider it made him feel slightly unhinged. So he turned his mind to other things, and in doing so, something new occurred to him. He suddenly realized that he didn't _need_ Ryou's cooperation. Therefore, there was no reason for him to try to bring Ryou around to his side. Bakura was the stronger one; he could possess Ryou's body whenever he wanted to.

This fact should have been so obvious; why hadn't Bakura realized it before? Regardless, now that he'd had this realization, Bakura resolved that he would stop trying to get close to his landlord- no, not his landlord, his vessel. Bakura had the power to use the body for whatever he wanted; therefore, emotional closeness to the first inhabitant of the body was not necessary to his plans.

Of course, he would protect the body- _his_ body now- from death, because if his body died, then he would be confined to the Ring again. And that basic protection would be the extent of it. He didn't need sympathy or cooperation from Ryou- no, the body wasn't Ryou, it was only a vessel, its name didn't matter. Bakura could possess the body any time he wanted, and that was enough to carry out his plans. And there was no need to take the feelings of his vessel (his traitorous vessel, who befriended the Pharaoh) into consideration.

And even as he told himself this, he did the opposite, for reasons that it did not occur to him to think about. Because Bakura was not the type to think about these sorts of things- at least not since he'd witnessed everyone he'd ever cared for being burned alive in front of him.

When one of Ryou's mentors at the school had been cruel to him, yelling at him and threatening to cut off the boy's hair, Bakura had inexplicably gone into a rage and had used his powers to seal that mentor's soul into a figurine before the mentor could do anything to Ryou (his body, Bakura's body). Bakura had felt an instinctive urge to try to protect Ryou (no, the vessel) from humiliation and unfair treatment. And he couldn't explain it.

Why did Bakura feel so protective of his vessel, even when the vessel's life was not in danger? It was not a question that Bakura wanted to contemplate.

And the worst part was that his landlord (vessel) had again not been happy about what Bakura had done for him. Bakura had saved Ryou from being unjustly abused, and yet Ryou (no, his vessel) had seemed horrified at what Bakura had done. Bakura could not wrap his mind around it. He could not understand his own actions, or his landlord's reaction, and he began to think that maybe he really had gone insane after the thousands of years he'd spent in the darkness of a Millennium item made from his family's blood.

And yet...his vessel had been grateful on some deeper level, even as he was outwardly appalled by the occurrence. Bakura knew, because by virtue of sharing the same body, he had complete access into his landlord's confused and conflicted mind. And what was he to make of the gratitude that his landlord felt?

But this didn't matter. What did matter was the fact that Bakura was slowly finding it possible to think more clearly. And with a more coherent mind, Bakura was now able to recognize the fact that his vessel could be an obstacle to him. Yes, Ryou had shown at least once that he had enough power to override Bakura at times. This was definitely something that merited Bakura's consideration.

So Bakura put all of his efforts into developing the ability to control this body completely. He had to ignore any feelings of sentimental protectiveness that he'd had for this other soul that lived in _his_ body. And he especially had to ignore Ryou's feelings towards him. He had to ignore Ryou's sympathy for him, and he had to ignore Ryou's feelings of gratefulness for the times he'd tried to help him. He knew that he had to ignore Ryou's feelings on these matters because they were obviously false and misleading; it was clear whose side Ryou was really on.

And so he concentrated on learning to control the body, and eventually he- he, his vessel, Ryou, his landlord, whoever- entered a Duel Monsters tournament. Yugi had entered the same tournament, and so had Ryou's other friends. And Bakura knew that this tournament would bring him closer to his goals and would help lead him to the other Millennium Items.

And he stared through the eyes of his vessel, not wanting to miss anything, yet not wanting to make his presence known to anyone- not even to his vessel, his betraying vessel.

And he witnessed his vessel in company of his "friends," as they each showed off their favorite cards. And his vessel (Ryou) had shown his favorite card- Change of Heart.

And could that be anything other than a reference to he, himself, Bakura? Maybe he was reading too much into it...but no...there was only one thing it could mean. Bakura knew that Ryou knew that he was inhabited by an ancient spirit. A spirit who sometimes took over his body and acted quite differently than Ryou himself would have acted.

Change of Heart...and it was Ryou's favorite.

It was enough. There was something there. And as usual, when emotions were involved, Bakura acted without thinking.

He'd taken over Ryou's body then, unable to help himself, knowing there was a bond between them, knowing that Ryou wanted to help him on some level, and feeling elated for reasons he himself couldn't understand.

Once he'd accomplished his goal, he'd let go of his control of the body- just for the time being, always only for the time being.

And dimly, on a level somewhere below conscious thought, Bakura realized that something in his connection with Ryou seemed to be grounding him, to be bringing him out of the isolation and insanity that he'd been trapped in for most of the last three thousand years. It had been happening gradually ever since Bakura had first felt a bond with Ryou, and Bakura was slowly rising up, coming back to himself.

And he had to be careful, because this boy's loyalty was not to him- not exclusively to him, not yet. The boy was still faithful to his friends. Would die for them, if necessary. Bakura could sense that much easily, as easily as he could sense the boy's sympathy for his own plight.

But maybe there was a strategic advantage in telling Ryou more, in creating more sympathy...

And that was the only reason why Bakura eventually broke, why he spoke to Ryou of himself again. And this time, Bakura told Ryou of his search for Mahes. He'd already told Ryou of his past, of his murdered village...but never of Mahes, never of that. And because their minds were connected within a shared body, Ryou's empathy filled Bakura's soul, and caused Bakura to try to pull away from that which he had previously sought. But Ryou didn't want to let him, and Bakura was beginning to regret every conversation he'd had with the child.

But Bakura had no other choice than to carry on, because he was stuck with this body and had to make do with it. And eventually he realized that his openness had actually furthered his goals. That it had, in actuality, all been worth it.

He learned that fact when the Ring was tossed away from Ryou and came inexorably back to him, through a kind of faith that was no particular will of either of them. Previously, he'd felt a need to force his landlord to keep the Ring, even going as far as to use his powers to stab the points of the Ring into the flesh of Ryou's chest so that the boy would be unable to remove it. But this was clearly no longer necessary. The Ring could not be separated from Ryou now, no matter who removed it or how far it was flung. He belonged to Ryou and Ryou belonged to him, and he- and the Ring- would come back to Ryou no matter the circumstances. And he couldn't pretend that the deeper bond between them had nothing to do with that fact.

And somehow, that was what he most remembered about the tournament; that he had managed to secure the complete control- _trust, caring_ \- of his landlord. It almost seemed an afterthought that he'd also managed to collect a Millennium item by the end.

Even though the item was really the most important thing. He'd taken the Millennium Eye from a man named Pegasus. The Ring had led him there, and automatically, he had reached out with his ba, checking for Mahes's presence, for he knew that Mahes would be near the Millennium items. And he had immediately sensed that Pegasus was not Mahes, and that Pegasus had nothing to do with Mahes. So Bakura had ripped the Millennium Eye away from him, taking back another piece of what was rightfully his.

And then he had walked on- walked on with Ryou as his semi-reluctant, morally conflicted companion and landlord- and he searched for the remaining five Millennium items...a search which he was sure would eventually lead him to his partner.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the author's note in the last chapter, I mentioned that I'd sometimes be writing in detail about canon events, and I explained the reasons why. To give credit where it's due, starting from this chapter onwards, when I write about canon conversations between Marik and Bakura, the dialogue will come directly from the canon- mostly the sub and the manga, but occasionally from the dub. It's pretty much a mix of what works best for the fic, and some of the lines are slightly reworked to make them flow better, but the basic meaning is the same; I didn't want any of the canon scenes between them here to go against the actual canon. Also, like I mentioned before, I wanted to explore the thoughts and feelings the characters were having during canon events, and also write about what may have went on before, after, and between the canon events. So obviously, not all of the dialogue is going to come from the canon- there's also dialogue of my own invention that could have happened after their canon conversations, or during times when the canon cut away from their scenes together.

"I held you tight against the dark and said that I would always come for you. Maybe you don't remember my promise. But I meant every word. I hope you're not afraid, wherever you are. You don't need to be. I'm not. I will find you."- "Find You," from xkcd by Randall Munroe

* * *

Through the power of the Millennium Ring, Bakura felt a familiar presence.

Of course, he immediately wondered if it could be Mahes. Could this feeling of familiarity mean that the Ring had finally led him to his partner? He _wanted_ that to be the case, but...that didn't quite fit. He felt that he'd been near this presence very recently. No; that wasn't quite right, either. Not long ago, he'd encountered something much like this presence, but it hadn't been whole; it hadn't been in its natural form.

And yet, at the same time, his familiarity with this presence felt absolutely ancient. He wasn't sure what to think.

One thing he _could_ be sure of, however, was that the Ring had alerted him to the fact that another Millennium item was nearby. And that was, he reminded himself, what truly mattered. So he followed where the Ring led him.

Eventually, the Ring led him to an alleyway. And then Bakura saw him. The one he'd been seeking- the one who must be holding another of the Millennium items- was speeding towards him, riding on one of the things that people in this age used for transport.

Bakura still had not gotten used to this- the fact that people in this time rode upon un-alive things. If he were being totally honest with himself, he would say that it unsettled him that people were riding these- he groped for the word- machines.

Yet he stood before this person, arms out, somehow trusting that the rider would stop the machine before it hit him, that this person wouldn't run him down and kill his landlord, sending him back to the solitude of the Ring. Even as he did it, he wondered if it was a stupid mistake to trust that this stranger would stop for him. He wondered if it was only his vague sense- or possibly hope- that this person was Mahes that made him take such a risk.

But he needn't have worried. The boy- he could see now that the person was male- executed a maneuver that caused his machine to turn sideways and stop with a screeching halt, just short of hitting Bakura.

"Who are you?" the boy asked him, looking indignant as he removed his helmet.

And now Bakura could see the boy more clearly. He was obviously around Ryou's age. And he even looked somewhat like Mahes, all blonde hair and dark skin and purple eyes, though he was more muscular than Mahes had been, and his eyes seemed somehow harder.

Instead of answering the question the blonde had asked, Bakura simply opened Ryou's blue shirt to reveal the Millennium Ring. If this person was Mahes, as he hoped he was, then maybe that would be enough to make Mahes recognize him...

"Ah, you have the Millennium Ring," said the teen, and for a moment, Bakura was glad that the other had recognized the Ring, thinking that maybe it meant...

But the boy surprised Bakura by looking him directly in the eye and commanding: "You will work with me, or you will die."

Bakura was completely taken aback, though he struggled not to show it. He'd been wrong. This could not be Mahes- Mahes would never make threats like that, especially not against someone he'd just met. That just wasn't in Mahes's nature. Bakura had been mislead by his own stupid desires, his useless emotions, and now he desperately needed to regain control of the situation.

He could attack the kid and try to take the item outright, but something inside Bakura- something he didn't understand, something he didn't even try to understand in that short moment- made him decide to give the unknown teen a chance to hand over his item peacefully.

"If you try to stop me in my quest for the Millennium Items, you're the one who will die," Bakura said. "Give me your item and I'll let you live."

Bakura could now see the Millennium item that the blonde possessed- it was the Rod, and he was brandishing it openly, tauntingly.

"So, you want me to give you my Millennium item," said the other. "What is it that you want with the Millennium items?"

For some reason that Bakura couldn't fathom, he was compelled to answer this question honestly, even though he knew that the truth was more likely to harm him than to help him in his goal to get the other boy to give him the Millennium Rod.

"Obviously, if I can place the seven Millennium items on the Pharaoh's tablet, the dark door will be opened," Bakura told him. "I need the power that is sealed behind that door. It is vital to my purposes."

There was a pause, and then the blonde suddenly introduced himself. "I am Marik."

"I'm Bakura," Bakura responded without thinking.

"Bakura, I'm not interested in the Millennium items," Marik said. "I am only interested getting my revenge against the Pharaoh by taking his life. Once that is done, the Millennium Rod will be nothing to me."

Bakura scowled at him. How could this child treat the Millennium items as if they were meaningless?

But Marik ignored Bakura's obvious hostility towards him, not even seeming to care.

"Let's make a deal," said Marik. "If you help me, I'll give you the Millennium Rod when it's all over."

Bakura couldn't believe that Marik was actually asking for his help, as if he had any chance of getting it. The brat had been threatening him and making demands on him from the moment they met! Why would Bakura ever be willing to help this insolent child?

"You're bargaining with me?" asked Bakura sardonically. Bakura was the one who should be making demands- not this pathetic kid. "I told you to give me the Rod."

But Marik was undeterred by Bakura's words. "You should be sympathetic to me," he said. "I need the Rod in order to defeat Yugi. Before I do that, I can't give it to you."

Marik wanted him to be _sympathetic_? After having threatened to kill him? That had to be a joke.

But on the other hand, the kid had a lot of nerve; Bakura had to give him that. Also, this boy wanted to kill the Pharaoh, which was certainly a worthy goal- Bakura had almost ignored that fact in the face of the child's flippant attitude towards the Millennium items. Bakura briefly wondered what the Pharaoh had done to the teen to make him so vengeful. Was it as bad as what the Pharaoh had done- but Bakura cut off that thought and forced himself to focus on the present.

And to that end, Bakura decided that maybe Marik- an apparently bold kid who wanted to kill the Pharaoh- at least deserved a fair fight. So Bakura turned his attention to the situation at hand and responded to the teen.

"How about this, then?" Bakura asked. "Let's use the Millennium Rod against the Millennium Ring. The dark force that prevails will decide the winner."

"Fine with me," said Marik. "In fact, that's exactly what I want."

Yes, the kid definitely got points for bravery, as much as Bakura hated to admit it to himself- Marik clearly wasn't afraid of a fight. And Bakura could certainly give him one.

So Bakura released the power of the Ring, and somehow Marik unleashed the power of the Rod at exactly the same instant, the two mysteriously and perfectly in sync with each other.

The power of the items flowed out, and a spectral glow surrounded both of them as their respective forces collided, unearthly blue light slamming into red and meeting equidistant between them.

As it always was when Bakura directed the power of the Ring towards someone, his ka and his ba automatically reached out along with it, touching the soul of his opponent. He could feel Marik's soul and-

And it was, it _was_ , it was Mahes, he had no doubts, he didn't know how he knew-

_I will always know you_

but he knew, and he didn't understand how this ruthless person could be Mahes, but it _was_ and he had to stop before he hurt him, even if it meant that he had to endanger himself-

So he abruptly stopped attacking with the Ring, and for some reason, at that exact moment Marik stopped attacking with the Rod, failing to take the advantage that he could have had when Bakura had suddenly stopped the battle.

Bakura turned away from Marik, not wanting the other to see his smile. He'd _found_ him...

"I quit, I quit," Bakura said as he turned around, holding his hands up in surrender and laughing a bit, still smiling despite himself. He tilted his head towards Marik, his eyes shifting sideways to catch a glimpse of the boy.

"What's wrong?" asked Marik.

Bakura tried to collect himself. Once he felt he had regained some control of himself, he turned to face Marik.

"I don't think I would lose against you," said Bakura. "I could defeat you easily. But we have the same goal, don't we? So we might as well work together."

And of course, there was no one else in the world that Bakura would have agreed to work with- if it had been anyone else opposing him, he would have continued fighting. But this was Mahes- Marik- and that was different. For them to work together again-

"You're very smart," said Marik. "You've made a wise decision."

"Of course I'm smart," said Bakura. "And I know the best way to defeat Yugi- we can use his own friends against him. I've been waiting for the chance to do so."

"That's exactly what I was planning to do," said Marik. "I can use the power of the Millennium Rod to accomplish it."

"You don't understand how strong their friendships are. It won't be easy to tear them apart," said Bakura. "But I can help you. My landlord, Ryou, is friends with Yugi and the others, and I can easily control Ryou."

Easily control Ryou? That might have been a bit of an overstatement on Bakura's part, but Bakura wanted Mahes- Marik- to be convinced that he needed Bakura to help him with his plan.

"Landlord? What do you mean by that?" asked Marik. "It sounds interesting."

"My spirit is housed inside of my landlord, Ryou. I myself once lived in the ancient past, and now my soul has returned for the purpose of collecting the Millennium items," Bakura said.

Bakura was testing the waters, attempting to see if Marik would believe him. He knew that the truth would sound crazy to most people. But Marik was not most people, and he didn't seem perturbed, so Bakura forged ahead with a reasonably innocuous question.

"Would it surprise you to know that I've had experience in dark games?"

"It doesn't surprise me," said Marik.

Bakura felt a slight sense of relief. So, this incarnation of Mahes knew of otherworldly things and believed in them- well, of course he would, being the possessor of a Millennium item. So maybe he'd understand when Bakura told him- Bakura started to speak before he himself was even aware that he was going to do it.

"Mah- Marik, when I said that I lived in the past, it's because I needed to explain to you-"

But Marik was caught up in his own scheming and wasn't even listening.

"It's good to know that you've been in dark games," said Marik, as if there had been no interruption by Bakura. "It may make you useful to me in the future."

For the moment, Bakura was so focused on his own agenda that he barely noticed that Marik was still speaking. And Marik went on, unaware-

"But for now, I only need the use of your landlord. I've already thought of a brilliant way that I can use Ryou against Yugi and his friends."

And at the mention of his landlord- of _using_ his landlord- Bakura's ears perked up, and it was then that he realized that he'd been interrupted. Not just interrupted, but _ignored_.

"Will you shut up for one second and listen to me, you little brat?" Bakura snapped.

And Bakura half-expected the blonde to look at him with a mixture of hurt and defiance, as Mahes would have done in his previous life when Bakura angrily insulted him. But instead, Bakura only received a look that was a strange mixture of smugness and confusion. At that, Bakura wondered if he should even continue on and tell the boy what he'd been meaning to say, but soon Bakura was speaking again, seemingly without any conscious decision to do so.

"I was trying to tell you something," said Bakura. He was truly attempting to be patient, but he wasn't quite managing to mask the irritation in his voice. "Mah- _Marik_ \- I lived in Egypt long ago, and you did, too, and we knew each other, we worked together-"

Marik laughed derisively, and the piercing sound cut off Bakura's words.

"You don't need to make up stories, my friend," said Marik. "You've already got my assurance that I'll help you if you help me."

Marik saw the look of shocked dismay on Bakura's face before he could hide it.

"Or maybe you're crazy and you actually believe what you're saying," said Marik. He shrugged as if it didn't really matter either way. "Don't worry; I don't mind a little crazy. I _know_ crazy."

Marik shook his head quickly, as if he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Bakura opened his mouth as if to speak, but Marik continued before he had the chance.

"As I've been trying to tell you all this time, I have a plan," said Marik. "I want you to seriously injure yourself- your landlord, I mean. Then, I'll take him to Yugi's friends, and I'll pretend that I found him- Ryou?- hurt, and that I saved him. It's the perfect way for me to infiltrate their group. And once I'm close to them, I'll kill the Pharaoh."

"You want me to hurt myself- hurt Ryou-"

"If you do that, then I can trust you. I'll believe that you'll give me what I want. And then I'll give you what you want. We'll be partners."

Marik's words sent a jolt through Bakura that started in his borrowed body and then seemed to go much deeper.

"Marik-" he started, knowing it was useless, hating himself for trying, but unable to help himself, "I really did know you-"

And of course, Marik was uninterested, barely seeming to hear him, speaking over top of him. "I told you when I first met you- you can work with me or die. Time's up. What is your answer?"

And Bakura was shocked again that this- _this_ \- could be Mahes, demanding such a thing of him, wanting him to hurt himself, threatening to kill him if he didn't, and Bakura wondered briefly what horrible things had happened to Mahes in this life to make him this way. But that didn't matter right now, because he knew that it _was_ Mahes- that knowledge, that recognition, burned throughout the very essence of his being. And he understood then there was no more time now, because Mahes- Marik- had given him a deadline, and this was it, and he felt ashamed that he wanted to give in, felt even more ashamed at the sympathy he was feeling from Ryou, Ryou telling him that it was alright, and he tried to resist all of it because he didn't want to submit. But now he was all out of time and if he wanted to work with this boy, to be his partner, to have any chance at all-

Bakura made a snap decision and pulled out the knife that he always carried with him.

" _This_ is my answer!" Bakura said, and a maniacal glint was in his eyes as he plunged the knife into his own arm, and he laughed madly as he stabbed himself, because this was all insane- he was insane for agreeing to this plan, Marik was insane for proposing it, and Ryou was insane for agreeing to go along with it.

And none of that mattered because maybe Marik's plan would work- Marik's idea was clever, Bakura had to give Marik _that_ , at least, because otherwise Bakura wouldn't be participating in this crazy scheme. Maybe Marik really could kill the Pharaoh if Bakura did what Marik wanted him to do, and that was all that Bakura cared about, that was the only reason he did what the blonde asked of him- it certainly wasn't because he cared about this boy who called himself Marik, because that boy wasn't really Mahes anymore, and even if he was, it didn't matter to Bakura, because his only purpose was to kill the Pharaoh and free the souls of his people, that was all that had ever mattered to him, and that was his only reason for giving in to what Marik demanded. And those were his last thoughts before he collapsed onto the ground.

And if he whispered, "Mah- Marik- Mahes- I-" just before passing out, he didn't remember saying it, and his voice must have been much too quiet for anyone else to hear, for there was no external response, only a sympathetic surge of emotion from Ryou, and then Bakura's consciousness drained away along with the blood flowing from his arm and all became dark.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Taemanaku for helping to co-write this chapter! Also, thanks to the lovely Lady Blackwell for doing the beta on this chapter, as well as the two previous chapters.
> 
> Anyways, the start of this chapter deals with the aftermath of Bakura stabbing himself, and it's based on the manga canon, not the anime. Some of these events only happened in the manga and weren't in the anime at all; other events happened in the manga but were drastically changed in the anime. For instance, the fist fight is totally different in the manga as opposed to the anime- in the manga, the kids that Bakura stole from previously just happen to show up and randomly try to attack him and it's not expected by anyone at all.
> 
> After Bakura gets to the hospital, the fic goes back to following the anime canon, and the conversation between Marik and Bakura in the hospital is based on the dialogue from the sub.

_Are we running towards death?_  
 _I have met him times before_  
 _He adores us like the rest_

_We can burn it and leave_  
 _For we are the beautiful thieves_  
 _No one suspects at all_

-Beautiful Thieves by AFI  


* * *

Marik then realized that the boy- the spirit inside the boy, he believed that much about Bakura's story- really was crazy, to be capable of stabbing himself so enthusiastically and then to laugh about it. And as if that weren't enough, the spirit stayed conscious long enough to pull the knife out of his arm and lick the blood off of it, as if he enjoyed its taste- why did that somehow seem so familiar to Marik?- before he tossed the knife away and finally passed out on the hard pavement.

This turned out to be an inconvenience. If Marik's plan to infiltrate Yugi's group was going to work, he needed Bakura to be conscious so that they could actually walk to the group together. But as he looked down at the boy who was collapsed and bleeding on the ground, Marik realized he wasn't sure how long it would take for Bakura to fully wake up and be capable of walking.

Marik felt inexplicably bad just leaving Bakura on the ground. So, heaving a sigh, he grabbed Bakura by the collar of his striped shirt and hauled him over the seat of his motorcycle. As he took a moment to gather his thoughts, he observed Bakura more closely.

The sleeve of Bakura's blue button-down shirt was tattered and soaked with blood, causing Marik to grimace. He couldn't let Bakura walk around with that wound completely uncovered, he thought reasonably. And if they were partners now, they might as well look out for each other. So without thinking too much of it, Marik grasped Bakura's shirt and pulled it off of his shoulders. Then, in order to stem the blood flow, Marik ripped off part of the shirt and proceeded to wrap it around Bakura's left arm.

The spirit was entirely still as Marik tied the blue fabric into a knot. As he worked, his gaze drifted to Bakura's face. His eyes were squeezed shut and his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as though he were having a bad dream.

Marik found himself staring for a moment. Inhabiting the body of an innocent-looking, white-haired boy was a spirit with a personality that seemed to match Marik's own. Marik recognized that Bakura would be a useful ally, someone with drive and determination much like his own. He had powerful knowledge and experience from the past, and he was strong and confident. And the fact that he'd been able to injure himself so quickly and willingly was, in the strangest way, admirable.

He had recognized these strengths in Bakura, and the similarities between Bakura and himself- so that must have been why he had been so eager to work with Bakura, though he'd never allowed anyone, even his own brother, to work with him as an equal before now.

Before he knew it, Marik's hand had drifted to Bakura's hair, and he found his fingers clenched in the white strands, almost possessively.

He shook himself and removed his hand, wondering briefly why he'd done that.

Suddenly, Bakura made a soft noise, as though he were waking. Or perhaps it was Ryou who was waking, because the boy looked bleary and disconcerted.

"Finally," Marik said to himself, and grasped the boy by his shoulders, pulling him up into a standing position.

Ryou's eyes closed again, and Marik realized that he was hardly awake, just drifting between consciousness and sleep. He decided that would have to be good enough. If they were ever going to get into Yugi's group, they couldn't wait forever for Bakura's landlord to cooperate.

So Marik put his arms around Bakura- or Ryou- or both of them- whatever- in order to help the boy along.

Taking an unsteady step, they proceeded forward.

* * *

As Bakura began to awaken, he noticed several things.

First, he realized that someone's arms were around him, and that he was being guided along the sidewalk at a painfully slow pace.

Then, he realized that his arm was stinging, probably still bleeding after his overly enthusiastic injury, but that it was now bandaged.

Lastly, he realized he was missing his shirt. One of them, at least.

He was still just barely conscious, drifting between wakefulness and sleep in much the same way as Ryou, so it took a moment for him to process what was happening. His breathing sped up momentarily as he realized exactly what was going on. It was Marik who had his arms around him. And Marik must have taken off his shirt and wrapped his wound. As Marik continued to hold him up and lead him down the sidewalk, Bakura glanced up and saw that Marik had an expression on his face that looked very much like concern.

Earlier, Marik had dismissed Bakura when he'd told him that they'd known each other in the past, but Marik's actions now seemed almost caring, so maybe-

Bakura violently shoved the thought from his mind. Marik hadn't believed him, and Bakura had already decided that he only cared about this kid as far as how useful he'd be to him in his goal of killing the Pharaoh and collecting the Millennium items.

Abruptly, Bakura's thoughts were interrupted as he felt something foreign press into his and Ryou's consciousness. It was as though something was pushing past their barriers and knocking down their defenses to settle into their minds and grasp tightly at their thoughts.

It was a force of some sort, clutching at their minds, compelling them not to wander too close to consciousness. As if it wanted them to remain in this lulling state of half-sleep.

This was Marik's doing, Bakura realized suddenly. Marik must have been using the power of the Millennium Rod on them, and Bakura didn't have to think too long before he understood Marik's intent.

Marik was afraid that Ryou would ruin their plan. He didn't want Ryou to say anything that would blow their cover, so he was exerting a light control over Ryou's mind, keeping him quiet and compliant.

As they rounded a corner, Bakura made out the shapes of two people standing in the distance. They continued walking, drawing closer, and eventually the two people turned around and noticed them. Then the two were running towards them, yelling.

It was a boy and a girl, and Bakura recalled that their names were Joey and Anzu. As the two realized that Ryou was hurt, they knelt down beside him with worried looks on their faces.

Joey said something to Marik, inquiring about Ryou's state, and Marik explained that he'd found Ryou like this, hurt and bleeding in the alleyway.

Before Marik could properly introduce himself, two kids approached the group. They were gazing intently at Bakura, angry and clenching their fists. When Bakura took a closer look, he recognized them.

"Hey," one of them said, drawing toward Bakura. "You're the kid who stole from us!"

Bakura had indeed stolen from them, though he'd never expected that they would find him, or even remember him. He watched as they descended on him, menacing and ready to attack him for his transgressions.

"Leave him alone," Marik said suddenly, drawing to his full height and glaring at them. "He's hurt."

The kids either didn't hear him or were simply unconcerned, and they were about to hit Bakura when Marik did an incredible thing. Surprising them all, he jumped in front of Bakura, throwing himself before the attack and taking a punch to his chest.

Before anyone could react, the other kid punched Marik right across his face, knocking him to the side. Bakura watched, dumbfounded, wondering why Marik was taking the hits for him. He started to think again that maybe Marik had, after all- but-

But- what had he just been thinking? His thoughts suddenly seemed muddled, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. As his vision started fading, he realized that the blood loss must be affecting him, and then he was unable to think anything else.

A moment later, he fell unconscious again.

* * *

Marik watched as the taxi pulled up to the curb and Joey and Anzu helped Bakura get inside the cab.

He smiled, thinking that all in all, his plan had been successful. Yugi's friends would never suspect what he was really doing. In their eyes, he was a considerate young man who'd found their friend Ryou and kept him safe until he'd located Joey and Anzu.

The idiots had smiled at him and shaken his hand as he'd introduced himself as Namu. He was sure that after all this, Joey and Anzu wouldn't regard him as anything less than a friend. He concluded that his plan was working out perfectly.

As Bakura settled into the cab, Marik saw Yugi's grandfather say something to the cab driver, most likely to direct them to the hospital. Marik glanced at Bakura's face, and something nagged at him. As though there was something familiar about the spirit.

Marik shook off the thought, scoffing. It was probably just Bakura's words affecting him— all that nonsense about knowing each other in the past. Marik still had a lot of work to do, and he wouldn't let something so trivial bother him.

As Marik turned from the departing cab, he forgot entirely about the nagging feeling, and turned back to his plan.

* * *

The next time Bakura awoke, he realized he was in the hospital. He was faintly aware that Yugi's grandfather was nearby, but Ryou was still unconscious and fitful in his sleep. Bakura was in his soul room, laying on the bed inside, feeling comfortable on the comforter and pillows that he'd simply wished into existence.

The comfort didn't last long, because he suddenly felt a presence searching through his mind, hunting persistently for something. Bakura recognized the presence as Marik. He stood from his bed and reached upwards to go through Ryou's consciousness. He felt that Marik was somewhere at the top, and as he ascended, he passed Ryou's dreams, restless with strange objects and shapes.

When he reached the top level of Ryou's consciousness, he found Marik standing there, waiting for him. They stood on a plateau, the floor of which was entirely covered in blue fog.

"I found you," Marik said simply.

"How did you get into my mind?" Bakura asked.

But then he remembered. Marik had used the Rod on Ryou earlier. Bakura was knowledgeable about the powers of the Rod, so he knew what that meant. Because Marik's consciousness had been in his mind once, Marik could now enter his mind any time he wanted.

"Oh," said Bakura. "It was that time, wasn't it?"

For some reason, Bakura felt no need to elaborate. Somehow, he sensed that Marik would know exactly what he was referring to. But he didn't give much thought as to why that would be.

"That's right," said Marik. "Since I used the Rod, our minds are linked. So I can come into your mind."

Marik's mention of the Rod caused Bakura to forcibly remind himself that the Rod was the really important thing here. It was time for Marik to give him the Millennium item that was rightfully his.

"Speaking of that," said Bakura, "you should give me your Millennium Rod now. I held up my end of the deal- I helped you in your plan to kill Yugi. Don't think I'm going to go easy on you at all. Hand it over."

"Oh, that," said Marik casually. "The plan has changed a little. I can't give you the Rod yet."

" _What_?" Bakura asked, irritated. Why did Marik have to be so...so...insolent and disagreeable in this life? Before, he never would have- but that didn't bear thinking about. The Rod was what mattered.

"Yugi and I both got into the finals," Marik said. "If you want the Rod, get yourself into the finals, too. I'll give it to you after the tournament is over."

Marik's words irritated Bakura even further. If Yugi was in the finals, that meant he was still alive. Marik hadn't managed to kill him. So Marik hadn't held up his part of the deal. Yet Marik didn't seem contrite at all. Instead, he was making demands of Bakura. Who did Marik think he was, bossing him around like this? Apparently, Marik thought he could suddenly change their deal, and that Bakura would just go along with it. Marik wasn't even _asking_ to change their deal- he was simply telling Bakura how it would be, as if he had no doubt that Bakura would just put up with it and continue doing whatever Marik wanted him to do, even though he'd gotten nothing in return yet.

Bakura barked out a short laugh. "So, you lost to Yugi. How can you be so arrogant after you've failed? I can't even stand to listen to you."

"You can say whatever you want," said Marik, seeming completely unruffled. "The finals are about to begin. Before they do, get yourself six Puzzle cards so that you qualify."

Marik then lifted himself up and left Bakura's mind. He hadn't even bothered to wait for an answer. He'd just assumed that Bakura would do as he told him.

That made Bakura even madder. And what made him angriest of all was the fact that Marik was right. Bakura _would_ do exactly as he was told. He had no choice, if he wanted to stay partners with Marik. Bakura then had to remind himself again that staying partners with Marik was not the ultimate goal- getting the Rod was. Collecting the Millennium items was the only thing that really mattered. Of course, if it were anyone else, anyone but Marik, he would just attack him, kill him if necessary, and steal the item. Certainly he would do that to anyone else who dared to back out of a deal that they'd made with him and then try to boss him around- not that he would ever deign to make deals with anyone else- damn it, what was Marik _doing_ to him? Bakura seethed, clenching his fists in frustration.

But there was no way around it. He'd have to get the stupid Puzzle cards and enter the tournament.

"Damn that brat," he growled. But Marik was gone and he was only talking to himself.

Bakura couldn't waste time; he knew that the finals were about to begin. Six Puzzle cards were, after all, not something he would find lying on the street, so he'd either have to steal them or duel someone for them. And so, angry and fuming, he took complete control over Ryou's body and awoke.

Yugi's grandfather was at his bedside, probably concerned that Ryou had been fidgety and restless in his sleep, but Bakura paid the old man no heed. He stood up from the bed and ripped the IV out of his arm, not minding the pain in the slightest. The old man was saying something, looking urgent and fearful, which only irritated Bakura further.

He smiled dangerously and approached the man while clenching the Ring in his hand, meaning to make this quick. The old man's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and then Bakura used the Ring to knock him unconscious.

That done, he immediately left the hospital in search of the Puzzle cards.

He found some kid loitering in the dark streets and it took all of two minutes to make off with his Puzzle card. The idiot hadn't even had a chance, Bakura thought haughtily, as he threw the baffled kid to the ground, pocketed the card, and continued on his way. The progress was minor, though, because he still had five more cards to go and he didn't have much time.

The streets were quiet and black, and Bakura strode down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets and his mind whirring with thoughts. The occasional car passed by him, and its headlights always beamed at him brightly.

He had walked a little ways before one particular car- or a vehicle of some sort, because it only had one headlight- flashed at him and then slowed down.

Bakura frowned as the vehicle- a motorcycle, now that he saw it more clearly- stopped several yards ahead of him. A figure turned the engine off and unstrapped a helmet.

"Marik," Bakura greeted flatly, betraying no surprise at seeing him.

"I see you're looking for Puzzle cards," Marik said as he approached. "You'll have to get more creative with where you look, because you won't find many duelists out here this late."

Bakura said nothing, digging his hands deeper into his pockets. "Is that all you have to say?"

"No," Marik said, taking no hint of the sarcasm. "It's good that we ran into each other, because I have to fill you in on our plan."

Something irritated Bakura about the way Marik said "our plan" when he really just meant his own. It wasn't as if Bakura had a say in any of it.

"After we get into the finals, I want you to act like Ryou," Marik said, launching into the details without waiting for a response. "Make them think that you're still their friend, and don't reveal yourself."

Bakura figured that shouldn't be too hard. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to pretend to be someone called Namu, the name I gave to Yugi's friends when I first met them," Marik replied. "The fools didn't suspect a thing then, and they won't suspect anything now."

"Why did you have to give them a fake name?" asked Bakura.

"Yugi knows that someone named Marik holds the Millennium Rod, and has used it to control the Rare Hunters- a group that does my bidding."

"And who will be you, then? You can't expect to duel under an alias the whole time if Yugi's looking for someone named Marik."

Marik smiled. "I've got that covered, too. My brother, Rishid, is one of my Rare Hunters, and he'll be acting as me and holding a fake Millennium Rod. You and I need to make Yugi believe that Rishid is the one holding the real Millennium Rod and that he's the one controlling all the Rare Hunters."

Bakura said nothing for a moment, taking in the details of Marik's plan. "And where should I be, when the finals start?"

"You'll need to find the stadium, where they'll have the blimp for us to board," Marik replied before turning. "Anyways, I think that's all the things you need to know for now. I still have some things to take care of, and you're plenty busy yourself with the Puzzle cards, so I'll see you at the finals."

Bakura watched quietly as Marik made his way back to his motorcycle. The conversation had felt empty, somehow. It wasn't the topic so much as the way Marik had treated him. As if this whole thing were merely a business arrangement. Granted, Marik _did_ seem to treat him as an equal partner far moreso than he did anyone else. This was even despite the fact that Bakura challenged him and argued with him- and Marik, at least as the person he was in this life, didn't seem like the type who would normally put up with that from anyone. But still, Marik talked as if their partnership was merely a means to an end, a tool, a device that could just as well be discarded if it no longer proved useful. That wasn't the way Mahes would ever-

But this wasn't Mahes, Bakura reminded himself as he tried to hold back his thoughts. And suddenly, the memory of his past life was overwhelming and pressing in all around him. And he wanted, so badly, to reign the words in, before he found himself saying-

"Marik, wait."

Marik had been just about to mount his motorcycle when his head snapped up at Bakura's words. He straightened up, looking back.

Bakura found his throat going dry, and his mouth formed words without him even realizing what he was saying. "I wasn't lying. When I said we knew each other in the past."

Gods, why was he doing this to himself? The yearning in his own voice was just killing him. It was pathetic. Downright degrading, really. But maybe Marik would believe him now. Earlier that day, there were so many things Marik had done: bandaging his arm, and carrying him to Yugi's friends, and even taking the punches from those kids from whom Bakura had stolen. So maybe somewhere inside, Marik knew-

Marik's eyes narrowed. "You've already gotten my trust, Bakura. I don't know why you're still trying to tell me these ridiculous things."

So that's how it was. Still.

Any sorrow Bakura might have felt at Marik's words was drowned out by anger, crashing down on him, consuming him and driving him to the breaking point. What would it take? What the _hell_ would it take?

"Because it's true," Bakura growled. "Every word of it."

Marik simply looked bored. "I really can't be bothered with this nonsense right now. We're wasting time as it is and you've still got those Puzzle cards to steal-"

But Bakura had had enough of it. He was swathed in the wrath that comes with being ignored, treated as if what he had to say didn't even matter. He was tired of being patient and explaining himself in a rational way, so in his anger, he said the first thing that came to mind:

"We've fucked."

Marik stopped mid-sentence. He paused to give Bakura a strange look. "Excuse me?"

"You and I have fucked," Bakura said again, this time forcefully. "In the past, when we lived in Ancient Egypt, we had sex countless times."

Marik stared at Bakura with a mixture of shock and disgust. Bakura could instantly tell that this revelation had been a mistake. But Marik's reaction only incensed him further, and he went on more forcefully, a malicious smirk appearing on his face.

"In fact, the last time I saw you, I put you on your back and fucked you on the ground."

"I don't know what you're on about, but shut the hell up." Marik's eyes were cold, a shade of frosty lilac. It was clear that whatever line Bakura had been treading, he'd finally crossed it. "Your little stories were amusing in the beginning, but now they're frankly getting on my nerves. If you're planning to work with me, you'll have to stop this idiocy. You still have Puzzle cards to get and only a few hours to find them. So, get to work."

Giving Bakura one last icy stare, Marik mounted his motorcycle and started the engine. "I'll see you at the Battle City finals."

He rode off without a backwards glance.

Bakura was left standing in the dark streets, trying and failing to cope with what he'd just said to Marik. Though he'd spoken to Marik in anger, the desperation underlying his own words was undeniable, and it was sickening to him. It was disgusting, really, the way he kept trying with Marik, without a single nerve in his body moving to stop him.

Despite Marik's actions earlier that day, he was clearly only Marik, and not Mahes. Bakura had followed his soul for millennia, a staggering number of years, and all he got for his search was... boredom and disbelief. Was it even worth trying anymore? Was it worth trying to regain a partner who didn't want to be regained?

The pitiful feeling that settled in Bakura's stomach wasn't much of an answer. Because at that point, he honestly didn't know.


	14. Chapter 14

Bakura had been so angry after his last encounter with Marik that he'd gone and challenged some guy to a shadow game. Well, not just any guy- a guy who held five Puzzle cards. Bakura had won, of course. And that meant that the loser- hell, Bakura almost felt guilty about what had happened to the loser. Almost. But the guy had agreed to the shadow game, after all. And anyways, the win had gotten Bakura what he needed. He now had enough Puzzle cards to get into the Battle City Finals. Now all he had to do was get there.

So he walked along the road leading to the stadium where the blimp would be waiting. He hoped he would be able to get there before the blimp took off. He needed to be on that blimp so that he could beat the Pharaoh. And so that he could fulfill his part of the deal and get the Millennium Rod from Marik. The Millennium Rod was all he needed from that little brat, really, because-

But then his thoughts were interrupted by a sound that was starting to become familiar. It was the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching. The sound was coming from behind him, but Bakura resisted turning his head to look. If it was Marik again- as it likely was- he would just continue to walk and act as if he didn't notice the vehicle speeding by.

However, to Bakura's surprise, the motorcycle skidded to a stop next to him once again.

"Hey, Bakura!" called Marik.

Bakura whipped his head around to face Marik.

"What?" Bakura asked, putting as much venom into his voice as he could.

"I just wanted to know if you held up your end of the deal and managed to get enough Puzzle cards."

"For the record, that was _not_ our original deal," said Bakura. "But, yes, of course I got six Puzzle cards. It's not like it's hard to do. Not for someone like me, anyways."

Marik smiled, but his smile was just slightly tinged with malice. "Well, then, do you need a ride?"

A look of shock passed over Bakura's face for an instant, and then it was gone. But Marik seemed to notice it.

"Don't be surprised. I mean, I know you're crazy and all," Marik said, earning a scowl from Bakura, "but I need you for my plan...and you need _me_ for _your_ plan. So it would be best for both of us if we actually made it to the stadium before it's too late. You'll get there faster if you don't go on foot."

Bakura sighed heavily. Marik was right. He didn't say so, though. Instead, he wordlessly climbed onto the back of Marik's motorcycle, trying not to think about what he was doing.

"Hang on!" Marik yelled in an oddly cheerful voice.

Marik gunned the engine, and then the bike shot forwards, causing Bakura to grab Marik around the waist instinctively to keep from tumbling off.

Bakura tried not to think about anything. Not about the fact that they were hurtling down the road at an insane speed, and certainly not about the fact that his arms were around Marik and his face was buried in his shoulder. But the ride just went on and on. How far away could this damn stadium be? He wished that they would just get there already. As much as he didn't like to admit it, riding on Marik's motorcycle was a bit unnerving to him. But he couldn't blame himself, really. He was a three thousand year old spirit from ancient Egypt. He wasn't _supposed_ to be comfortable riding on one of these strange, unfamiliar death machines.

But then something else occurred to him. As uncomfortable as this was for him, he wouldn't have particularly cared to walk such a long way. He might not have even been able to make it on time if he hadn't run into Marik and caught a ride from him.

So he supposed he should be thankful. And maybe he should even tell Marik so. Apparently he still had the insane, irrational urge to be nice to Marik, even after all Marik had put him through. Well, he rationalized to himself, they were working together towards the same goal, if nothing else. It couldn't hurt to at least try to get along with each other.

"We've been on this road for a really long time!" he screamed into Marik's ear, trying to make himself heard over the rushing wind. As he spoke, he unconsciously tightened his arms around Marik. "It's a good thing I found you! I wouldn't have liked to walk this far!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bakura felt Marik's body tense in his arms, and then he immediately heard the screeching of tires- the same screeching he'd heard on the day he'd first found Marik, when he'd stood in front of the motorcycle with his arms out. That time, Marik had expertly controlled the crazy machine, skidding to a perfect sideways stop in order to avoid running him over.

But this was different. This time, Marik had quite obviously lost control of the vehicle. Bakura hung onto Marik for dear life as the motorcycle tipped much too far to the right, and he felt his stomach drop with the sensation of falling.

But at the last instant, Marik somehow regained enough control to skid to a halt and save them from crashing out and splattering their brains all over the pavement.

When Bakura opened his eyes- he hadn't even realized that he had closed them- the motorcycle was stopped in the middle of the street, and Marik had one foot on the ground, balancing them precariously.

Bakura immediately jumped away from the death trap that Marik supposedly rode for fun- maybe the kid was suicidal, on top of all the other mental problems that he apparently had in this life- and screamed, "What the _hell_ , Marik?"

Marik was obviously flustered. "I'm sorry," he said. "That never happens. I just felt weird for a little bit. Like-"

But he didn't finish the sentence. It would have sounded stupid to tell Bakura that a sudden, intense feeling of déjà vu was what had made him almost crash his bike and kill the both of them.

Bakura didn't wait for him to finish, though. "Well, good job, idiot," he spat. "I can't help you with your convoluted scheme if I'm dead, you know."

Marik turned away, as if he didn't want Bakura to see his face.

"Look, maybe you'd better walk the rest of the way," Marik said. "It's not too far now."

"If you think I'd do anything _other_ than walk the rest of the way, you're crazier than I thought," Bakura said.

"Yeah, yeah, fine," said Marik crossly. "I need to go talk to Rishid anyways. And it will probably look less suspicious if we don't walk in together. So really, it's better if we split up."

Bakura didn't even dignify that with a response. He simply began walking away. He turned back, though, when he heard Marik start the engine of his motorcycle again. Was that stupid kid actually still planning on riding the horrible thing to wherever he was going?

"I'll meet you there!" Marik yelled over the roar of the engine when he saw Bakura looking back at him. "And you'd better show up like you promised, and keep your end of the bargain, if you want my Millennium Rod!"

And before Bakura could even blink, Marik was off like a shot, riding down the road ahead of him.

Bakura grimaced to himself, shaking his head in disapproval as he watched Marik's tail lights fade off into the distance. Then he sighed and started walking again. He'd meet him at the stadium, all right- he had no intention of missing this tournament.

Nor of breaking his deal with Marik.

Bakura somehow managed to get to the stadium first. He supposed that Marik was still off somewhere talking with his brother, but he didn't doubt that he would show up- Marik had made it clear that this plan was important to him.

But for the moment, Bakura was alone with Yugi and his friends. At first, Bakura was so flustered by recent events that he forgot to affect the Ryou persona. But he soon picked up on the fact that the others were becoming suspicious and so he quickly shifted to acting as Ryou.

He tried to convince the others that he was fine, that his injury barely hurt at all, and that he'd managed to win the six Puzzle cards required.

Bakura was glad when Marik finally entered the stadium. He knew that Marik would help him with the charade.

Marik approached the group, and then Bakura felt Marik using the Rod on him. Marik made Ryou confirm that Marik was a friend, and that Marik was the one who had saved him when he was hurt.

Bakura was offended by this invasion- did Marik think that Bakura couldn't control Ryou himself? That he wouldn't do a good enough job of covering for them?

Bakura asserted his own will, so that his control over Ryou was equal to that of Marik's.

But before he could do anything else, the entire group was herded onto the blimp as it readied to take off.

And then, Bakura realized that he was receiving images from Marik's mind. There were no words- Marik wasn't speaking to him. He could simply see what Marik was thinking. In this way, he found out who Marik's brother was- so he knew who he and Marik were supposed to point out as being 'Marik Ishtar,' so that they could fool Yugi and his friends into thinking that Rishid possessed the real Millennium Rod.

Bakura did not need to tell Marik this- it seemed that Marik could read Bakura's thoughts, just as Bakura could read his. Marik knew that Bakura knew what they should do, so then they both exerted control over Ryou in tandem, creating a combined force strong enough to make one of the Millennium Ring's tines point to Rishid, indicating that he held the Millennium Rod; in reality, Marik had never let go of the Rod and Rishid's was a fake.

But the plan worked perfectly- Yugi and his stupid friends completely believed that Rishid was Marik.

And as the blimp took off, cutting them off from the world until the tournament was over, the reality of what had just happened hit Bakura like a punch in the stomach. Bakura had seen Marik's thoughts, and he knew that Marik could see his thoughts as well. He flashed back to earlier that day, when Ryou had been in the hospital and Marik had entered his mind. It had been the same then, too- Marik had seen exactly what he was thinking without him having to explain. At the time, he hadn't fully realized what was happening, and he hadn't given it much thought. He was thinking about it now, though. And now he realized what this could mean- how it could mean something far more than getting Yugi and his group of losers to believe that Rishid was really Marik.

Bakura realized that it was a terrible idea. And he also realized that he was going try it anyways. But this was the last time. After this, it would be over, one way or the other.

Bakura then purposefully put up a wall in his mind so that Marik couldn't read his current thoughts. The blimp was flying by now, and Bakura observed as Yugi and his friends stared out the windows like slack-jawed idiots. He noticed the one with spiky black hair and a single earring and he suddenly got an idea. Ryou's memories informed him that the boy's name was Otogi, but Bakura didn't really care about that- the spiky haired kid seemed to be a likely target. Bakura walked close to the teen and deftly reached into his pocket- and yes, this was what he had been searching for. He stuffed the item into his own pocket, trying not to think at all about what he was doing, knowing it was ridiculous. Otogi didn't seem to notice what he'd done- Bakura's skills as a pickpocket were as good as ever. There was no point in making this theft, of course, because he probably wouldn't even need to use what he had stolen, but it was really no trouble, so what did it matter?

The blimp had almost reached its full height now, and Bakura noticed that Marik was the only one, besides himself, who wasn't standing in front of the windows like a moron. So, as Yugi and his friends stood around talking to each other and looking at the view, Bakura managed to corral Marik away from them.

Then Bakura grabbed Marik roughly by his hair, forcibly turning Marik's head so that he was facing him.

"Let's go somewhere private. I need to discuss something with you," said Bakura in a hushed voice.

"What is it?" hissed Marik, jerking away from Bakura's grasp.

"It's about our plan," Bakura said as he began walking off.

Marik followed, but mumbled something about how this had better be worth his time.

Bakura ignored his complaining and searched the airship. He didn't have to lead Marik around for too long before he found what he was looking for. He came upon a door with a number on it, and since it was in an area that was so far from the main cabins, Bakura thought that it might lead to an out-of-the-way room which wasn't used much, if at all. Which meant it would be perfect for a private conversation, if he could just get inside.

Though some kinds of modern technology were alien to him- Marik's awful motorcycle came immediately to mind- Bakura had made sure to keep up on his skills at breaking and entering. So he had no trouble overcoming the electronic lock and opening the door. He entered, and Marik followed, shutting the door behind him. Marik then stood to face Bakura.

"Enter my mind," said Bakura.

"Why?" asked Marik.

"Do you always have to be such a disagreeable brat? Just humor me. It can't hurt."

Marik rolled his eyes, but entered Bakura's mind as he'd been asked- he figured that, if nothing else, he might gain information about the spirit that he could use to benefit himself.

Once Bakura felt Marik's presence in his mind, he retreated to the soul chamber that he occupied inside of Ryou, encouraging Marik to follow along with him.

When Marik met him there, Bakura spoke.

"I need to show you something. Look into my memories."

"Does this have a point?" asked Marik.

"Would I be wasting my time if it didn't? Just _do_ it!" said Bakura irritably.

Marik let out a put-upon sigh as Bakura opened himself to allow Marik deeper access into his mind. Marik took the invitation and began searching through Bakura's memories.

Bakura knew from recent experience that Marik could see his truth, just as he could see Marik's truth, and he hoped that that would be enough. After what had happened the last time he'd tried to tell Marik about their past, he hadn't been sure that he even wanted to try again. But then he'd realized that he and Marik could see each others' thoughts, and some stupid, irrational part of him had told him to try just one more time. If Marik could see their past for himself, then maybe he would believe. Almost every iota of Bakura's being rebelled against the idea of letting another so deep inside of his mind- but this was his only chance, his last chance, and in the end, he couldn't stop himself from trying.

"I know you didn't believe me before, but look," Bakura told Marik, as he pushed Marik towards his memories of Egypt, starting from the point at which he had met Mahes.

Bakura then led Marik through the events of his past, and as he did, he virtually relived it all himself- meeting Mahes, becoming partners with him, the years they lived and stole together, the nights they spent together. The associated emotions were so strong that Bakura desperately wanted to pull away- to relegate these memories to the back of his mind as he normally did, so that he could maintain a level of emotional detachment from all that had happened. But he had to leave his mind open so that Marik could continue down the chronological path of his memories- _their_ memories- and hopefully recognize himself in them. It didn't help Bakura's discomfort to know that Marik was so deep inside his mind that Bakura's emotions were laid bare to him; all that Bakura had felt, Marik was now feeling.

Once Marik reached the point in Bakura's memories when Bakura had left for his final assault on the Pharaoh's palace, Bakura decided that it was enough and that he could finally shut Marik out of his memories. Relieved that the ordeal was over, Bakura closed his mind abruptly, and then returned to the physical world. Marik felt the sudden closure and followed, returning to his own body as well. Now they were back where they started, standing there and facing each other in the room on the blimp.

For a while, they just stood staring at each other. The relief that Bakura had felt when he'd finished with the task of showing Marik his memories was short-lived; now he was consumed with apprehension as he waited to see whether Marik understood. Had Marik felt a connection with Mahes? Had he been able to recognize Mahes as himself?

Bakura stood waiting, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral, trying not to hope.

Finally, Marik spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "Where have you been, partner? Tell me the tales of your adventures."

Without hesitation, Bakura pulled Marik into a hug, and Marik squeezed him tightly.

"I was trapped in the Ring, and for a really long time I couldn't get out," explained Bakura. "But I finally did, and I found you."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you before," said Marik.

"Doesn't matter now," said Bakura.

Marik laid his head on Bakura's shoulder.

"Bakura..." sighed Marik.

Bakura tilted Marik's head up and kissed him. As their lips met, Bakura instinctively reached out to Marik with his ba, and he could feel the duality within Marik at that moment: the fiery arrogance that was Marik still burned inside him, but now he was also awash with the emotions that had belonged to the softer, kinder Mahes.

Something about it made Bakura want to be slow and gentle, to further draw out the part of Marik that was Mahes, to connect Marik more strongly to their memories. He began kissing along Marik's jawline, and Marik threw his head back as Bakura's fingers ran down his neck. When his hands reached the front of Marik's shirt, he unclasped the chains one by one. Leaning down to lick along Marik's collarbone, he began opening Marik's shirt from the top of the seam that ran down the middle. He did so slowly, and Marik gasped softly as Bakura bent to trail kisses down Marik's newly exposed skin.

When Marik's shirt was fully open, Bakura rose and ran his hands up Marik's bare chest, pausing to toy with his hardened nipples. Marik panted lightly, but Bakura didn't linger there for long; his hands traveled further up and pushed Marik's shirt off over his shoulders.

Marik suddenly captured Bakura's lips in a possessive kiss, and wrapped his arms tightly around Bakura's waist. As their tongues wound around each other, Marik began walking backwards, pulling Bakura towards the bed that was in the room. The kiss broke as Bakura allowed himself to be drawn down onto the bed with Marik. Bakura positioned himself on top of Marik, and brought his hands down to the waist of Marik's pants. His fingers trembled slightly as he began to unbutton them.

Marik rose up partway, leaning on his elbows. "You're nervous," he said teasingly.

"I am not!" said Bakura defensively.

Marik laughed a little, then laid back down. Bakura scowled for a moment, but then he looked at the half-naked teen underneath him, and all he wanted was to continue doing what he'd been waiting lifetimes and lifetimes to be able to do again. So he leaned down to place a kiss on Marik's stomach, and then went back to the task of slowly removing Marik's clothes, ghosting soft little touches and kisses over Marik's skin as he exposed it. Marik arched into his touch, enjoying the attention Bakura was paying to his body.

Once he had Marik fully undressed, Bakura threw off his own clothes, and then he remembered to reach into the pocket of his discarded jeans for the bottle of lubrication that he'd stolen earlier. He readied Marik, and then finally did what he'd been wanting to do.

"Oh, you feel incredible," said Bakura softly as he entered Marik. Bakura hadn't meant to let that thought slip out, but he'd been waiting so very, very long to be this close to his partner again, and it was overwhelming.

And after that, neither of them said anything coherent for quite a while.

The two moved together in rhythm, sweating and crying out, Marik's legs locked around Bakura's hips. When Marik came, he raked his nails down Bakura's back, leaving reddening lines along his pale skin as evidence of his ecstasy. The tightening and spasming of Marik's body drove Bakura over the edge too, and he gripped Marik's shoulders tightly and growled into his neck as he reached his own climax.

After Bakura pulled out, they laid together, sticky and panting, limbs intertwined.

"I remember it all now," said Marik quietly. "All the memories you showed me- I remember being there, I remember everything we did...I remember how I felt...I...I love you, Bakura."

"Oh, stop with that sentimental nonsense," Bakura chided him.

"I also remember that you always were a bastard," said Marik. But he was smiling.

Bakura smirked and pulled his partner closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the motorcycle ride at the start of this chapter: remember back in chapter 10 when Mahes had that vision right before he died? And he was riding on something smoother and faster than a horse and looked down and saw that it was red? And then he realized that Bakura was behind him with his arms around him and Bakura said, "The road has been long. It's a good thing I found you." And then he felt himself falling? OK so, that was supposed to be a vision of the future he was having, and it was supposed to be obvious that it was him riding on his motorcycle with Bakura in the future. But it was total author fail on my part, because apparently that wasn't obvious at all. So in case you didn't get what was happening at the start of this chapter, it was supposed to be Mahes's vision coming true.


	15. Chapter 15

What Marik had experienced with Bakura had certainly brought out a softer aspect of his personality. But in many ways, Marik was still the same argumentative, short-tempered brat that he had been when Bakura had first met him in this life. Yet somehow, that was alright with Bakura. Underneath it all, he could still clearly see Mahes- the soul that had always been there; the soul that Bakura had already seen flashes of even before he had shown Marik their memories. And Marik now knew who he had been, and knew what was between himself and Bakura.

And Bakura now understood much better why Marik was the way he was in this life. The first time their minds had truly met, Bakura had been able to see something inside of Marik- something in his past, his childhood, something about loneliness and isolation and loss. Marik had later opened his mind to Bakura and allowed Bakura to see that Marik had been imprisoned as a child, that his father had terribly abused him and his brother, and that both of his parents were now dead. But there was something else as well- and that something else was the worst thing that had ever happened to Marik, the thing that was the reason for all of this, the thing that had put Marik on the path he was on now. And this thing was hidden from Bakura. Marik had sealed it off in a deeper part of his mind, not allowing Bakura to get at it. Bakura wished he knew exactly what had happened to Marik. He wished nothing bad had happened to Marik at all. But still...

Still, truth be told, Bakura realized now that he didn't entirely mind the new, tougher personality aspects that Mahes had developed in his life as Marik. Bakura kind of enjoyed having someone to verbally spar with. In many ways, Mahes- Marik- had actually become more like himself. Their fights were passionate and always seemed to have a sexual undercurrent- even before Marik had found out who he was in the past, their arguments had been that way. But now that Marik remembered their past, they got to make up after their arguments.

Bakura discovered this added benefit shortly after all the tournament finalists had been assigned to their rooms. Bakura was in his own room, and he'd just finished eating a steak when there was a knock at his door. He opened the door and let Marik inside.

Marik talked about how imperative it was that they beat the Pharaoh, and he insisted that this time, they really did need to talk about their strategy. Bakura agreed, but of course, it just ended up in an argument over what strategy would be most effective. As they were fighting, Marik suddenly leaned in to kiss him, as if in apology that he'd let the discussion turn into an argument.

Soon enough, clothes were coming off and hands were wandering over bare skin. Marik reached down and played with Bakura until he was nearing the edge, and then rolled Bakura over onto his side. Bakura allowed this, so Marik cuddled up behind him in a spooning position.

Bakura soon felt teeth nipping gently at his neck, and slippery fingers sliding inside of him. Bakura tensed up automatically, but soon forced himself to relax, remembering from his past life how very good this could feel. When Marik deemed him ready, he coated his own erection with lubrication, and entered Bakura.

Once Marik was fully inside, he withdrew most of the way, then pushed back in very slowly, pressing against Bakura's prostate. Bakura made a soft sound of pleasure, and Marik reached around to grasp Bakura's arousal.

Marik pulled most of the way out again, and then pressed in slowly once more. His hand moved up Bakura's erection just as slowly, reaching the tip only at the moment of deepest penetration.

Bakura expected that Marik would begin thrusting normally, but Marik kept up the same agonizingly slow pace with both his thrusts and his stroking. Marik put his free hand on Bakura's hip, holding him in place so that he couldn't push back and speed things up. Marik made sure to keep his stroking in perfect time with his deliberate thrusts, and soon he made his thrusts more shallow, so that his fingers would be teasing the tip of Bakura's erection only at the instant when the hardest pressure was being exerted on that special spot inside of Bakura. Then he would move his hand back down Bakura's length as he withdrew from him, leaving Bakura aching for more. Marik did this again and again, and after several minutes of this treatment, Bakura finally cried out.

"Marik," called Bakura. "C-come on..."

"Last time we were together, you seemed to want to take your time," said Marik mischievously. "I'm just giving you what you want."

As Marik repeated the excruciatingly slow motion once again, Bakura moaned with abandon, his fingers clutching at the sheets, and Marik had to reign in his desire to speed up for his own pleasure. But Bakura's futile writhing was far too delicious, so he forced himself to continue the slow pace.

"Marik...I can't...can't take it..."

"You love it," Marik whispered, as his fingers found Bakura's sensitive ridge once more.

Against his will, Bakura moaned again, confirming Marik's assertion.

"Though, if you like, I could stop," offered Marik, just as he hit the spot inside of Bakura again.

"No...don't stop..." Bakura said breathlessly. He was clearly much too far gone to give Marik any of his usual attitude, and Marik liked that very much.

So Marik moved again, so tortuously slowly, and he felt Bakura's entire body shuddering against him.

"Oh... _Marik_ ," he said softly, a mixture of pleasure and need in his voice.

Marik was merciless, continuing the torment for several more minutes, loving the fact that Bakura was so desperate, and yet so obviously enjoying what was being done to him.

As Marik hit the spot yet again, his hand squeezing the head of Bakura's erection at the same instant, Bakura   
quivered uncontrollably in agonizing want.

"Ah- Mah-marik- you have to-"

"I will," Marik assured him, panting himself now as he licked Bakura's neck. "Just wait..."

Bakura gave a strangled cry of desire, an unspoken request.

Marik held on for as long as he could, but soon, Marik himself was finding it hard to wait. Bakura's soft cries and silent pleas were driving him out of his mind, and the feeling of Bakura around him was making him want to go deeper so very badly. So eventually, Marik very much needed his own orgasm, and couldn't stand it any longer himself.

He leaned in and nipped at Bakura's ear lobe.

"Would you like me to finish you off?" he breathed into Bakura's ear.

"Yes...oh, yes."

At that, Marik sped up immediately, pounding into Bakura, filling him entirely now, and stroking Bakura's need more quickly to match his faster thrusts.

"Marik...yes, I-"

Bakura came so hard that he thought he might faint. He could barely remember what had happened after that. The next thing he knew, Marik was gone.

Looking back on the event later, Bakura thought that Marik had certainly proved that he still retained the same troublesome, aggressive nature that he'd gained in this lifetime. Had he just recently been thinking that he kind of liked the new personality traits that Marik had picked up in his current life? He really wanted to kill the little brat for having done what he did to him. Even if the memory of it sent a jolt straight between his legs and a blush creeping up his cheeks. Of course, he'd rather die than admit that to Marik.

Just after that encounter with Marik, the finalists had all been called to the main area to find out who would be dueling first, and Bakura had managed to drag himself off the bed and go to the appointed place, only to find out that the first duel would be between himself and the Pharaoh.

As it happened, Bakura's duel against the Pharaoh had directly led to the next time that he and Marik had made up after a fight. That time, it had to take place inside Bakura's mind. This was because he- well, Ryou, really- was lying hurt in bed again. Actually, the fact that Ryou was stuck injured in bed was related to the fight that Bakura had had with Marik. Bakura had argued with Marik because Marik had wanted him to risk Ryou in order to win the duel against the Pharaoh and obtain a god card.

Marik had been entering his mind throughout the duel, giving him advice, and at the start, Bakura was grateful for the information and he used it to his advantage. He had even felt smug when Marik said that he _admired_ him. But then, Marik had told him to pull his soul away from Ryou's body, leaving Ryou vulnerable to attack.

Of course, Marik didn't think that his plan would cause Ryou to be killed- he believed that the Pharaoh would not attack one of Yugi's friends. If the Pharaoh refused to attack, the time for his turn would eventually run out, and Bakura would automatically win.

At first, Bakura actually did what Marik had suggested, and pulled away from Ryou. But then Bakura understood what Marik simply couldn't understand- that he absolutely could not take the risk, even if there was only a tiny chance that Ryou could be killed. So, much to Marik's chagrin, Bakura had gone back and stood in front of Ryou, protecting him, and told the Pharaoh to hit him. That's how he lost the duel, and that's how they- he and Ryou- had ended up back in a hospital bed. And Marik was not happy about this turn of events.

But then Marik had come to visit Bakura inside his mind, and Marik had apologized in his own way, with kisses and bites and touching and sucking. So Bakura had accepted the apology in the same fashion that Marik had given it.

Afterwards, with the taste of each other still in their mouths, they had kissed deeply, each tasting himself on the other's tongue. They had lingered this way for as long as they could, but eventually it was time for Marik to depart, for the tournament was still going on, and there were things that Marik had to do. Time inside a soul room worked differently from normal time- they could pass hours inside Bakura's mind while only minutes passed outside. Still, time _did_ pass, so Marik couldn't stay indefinitely.

Before Marik had left Bakura's mind that time, he had told Bakura that Yugi and his friends were looking for the Ring, so he had used his mind control to make Anzu take the Ring and hide it from the others. That way, Marik could keep the Ring safe while Ryou was stuck in bed, and Yugi and his self-righteous friends wouldn't be able to get their hands on it.

It was nice that Marik had done that, but frankly, Bakura was still a bit irritated over the entire situation that had caused the fight. Bakura had even admitted to Marik that his plan for the duel against the Pharaoh was quite clever and devious, but Marik had still yelled at him just because he was unwilling to risk Ryou. Marik obviously didn't understand how important Ryou was to Bakura- not just as his landlord, but also as his friend. He wouldn't risk Ryou's life just to get a god card, even if it meant getting the Millennium Rod from Marik in return. The items were greatly important to Bakura, but he would not put Ryou in grave danger, even for the sake of getting another item.

Bakura was inside the Ring pondering all of these recent events when he was suddenly interrupted- he felt that the Ring had been brought back to Ryou, and realized that Marik must have used Anzu to replace the Ring around the neck of his bed-ridden landlord. Bakura quickly left the Ring and went to his soul room inside of Ryou. An instant later, Marik entered his mind.

"Bakura...I need your help," Marik said immediately upon appearing in Bakura's soul room.

Bakura was still irritated over their latest quarrel, and wasn't in the mood for more demands.

"You need my help, do you? Again? Seems all I ever do is help you. You're the most demanding brat I've ever known. I've had to take care of you since the moment I met you," said Bakura.

"Oh, shut up already. Right now, I haven't got any patience for your bitching. This is serious, so just listen for once," said Marik.

"Oh, fine," said Bakura, rolling his eyes. "What is it you want?"

"The thing is..." Marik started, but found it hard to go on.

"I don't have all day, you stupid kid," said Bakura.

"I have a split personality!" Marik burst out.

"What?" asked Bakura, completely confused.

"Yeah, I have dissociative identity disorder, alright? And my other self...my dark self...he's all my rage and hatred concentrated into one personality. He used to take over my body and do things that I was unaware of. But now he's gotten out completely...and taken over my entire body. I can't get back in. My soul can still get into the minds of those I've controlled with the Millennium Rod before, but I can't get back into my own body. And my dark self...well, he intends to keep my body forever. And he wants to destroy me completely, so that I can never get my body back. Not to mention that he wants to kill everybody I care about. He's already tried to kill Rishid. Actually, I don't even think he cares who he kills. He just wants to kill and torture anyone he comes across, no matter who they are."

Bakura looked up sharply, more interested now.

"And how, may I ask, did you develop an evil alter-ego? Marik, what the hell _happened_ to you in this life? What is it that you're hiding?" Bakura asked.

"My father...there were duties...and I have scars...and my dark personality came out...look, I don't want to go into details," said Marik.

"So, you want me to help you, but you don't even want to tell me what it's all about?" said Bakura, clearly annoyed.

"It's just really upsetting to think about it...and at a time like this, I don't want to be reliving all that..." said Marik, averting his eyes.

Bakura sensed Marik's distress. Sighing in irritation, he decided not to push Marik for more information at the moment. Bakura knew most of the terrible things that had happened to Marik in this lifetime, but still, there were things he didn't know- and these things were even worse than what he already knew. No wonder Marik seemed so different in this lifetime.

"I swear, if you help me and we get through this, I'll tell you everything," said Marik. "But right now...I don't want to have to think about it. I have enough to worry about. Right now, I just want to..."

" _If_ we get through this? _If_? What is it that you're asking of me, Marik?"

"I need you to duel my dark personality and destroy him, so that he can't kill my family or obliterate my soul," Marik finally told him.

"A dark game," said Bakura. "So, if we win, then your dark personality will be destroyed. But if we lose...I assume that means that my own soul will be destroyed?"

"Yes," said Marik. Suddenly, he winced. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's just that my first instinct was to ask you because you're the only one I trust."

"I'll do it," said Bakura.

"What?" asked Marik.

"I said I'll help you," repeated Bakura.

"No," said Marik. "I can't ask you to risk...that was selfish of me. I'm just so used to not caring about-"

"Shut up," Bakura cut him off. "Let me worry about the risks."

It occurred to Bakura that he ought to be worrying more about the risks than he actually was. It was true that he'd taken precautions to make sure that he couldn't be completely destroyed. But if they lost the duel, it would still be a serious problem for him. He would be trapped inside a Millennium item again. Trapped for an indefinite amount of time- maybe forever. Or maybe just long enough that he would miss his chance at completing his lifelong quest, which would be almost as bad. But these thoughts only flitted briefly through his mind, and he found he didn't care about them much. He tried not to consider why it was that the risks to himself mattered so little when it was for Marik's sake.

"No," repeated Marik. "Look, never mind. I'll just...I'll just let my dark self destroy me. My dark side really wants to kill the Pharaoh, you know. That would be helpful to you. Just forget I asked."

Bakura grabbed Marik by the shoulders. "Snap out of it, weakling! Stop feeling sorry for yourself! You've always been too emotional. That's another one of your flaws. You are going to fight this. And I _will_ help you."

"But...why?" asked Marik, looking at him dazedly.

"If you have to ask, then it shows you really don't know me, even after all these years," said Bakura, shoving him away.

"Oh..." said Marik quietly. And then he reached out to grasp Bakura's hand.

"We're partners," said Bakura roughly, turning his head away slightly. He didn't let go of Marik's hand.

"Oh..." said Marik again. And then he turned away himself, blushing lightly.

"Come here," said Bakura. And he pulled him down onto the bed that was in his soul room.

The two laid down together, and for a while there was silence as Bakura petted and nuzzled Marik in an attempt to calm him.

"But what if...what if we lose?" asked Marik finally.

"I'm a great duelist. I'll think of a good plan. Just trust me. I'll do everything possible to make sure we win," said Bakura.

"But you have to admit that we might lose. If we do...will we ever..."

"Even if we do lose...I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. I will always find my way back to you, Marik," said Bakura.

"Are you sure you want to help me? Do you know what you're risking? What you might be giving up?" asked Marik.

"I remember a time when I asked you almost the same thing," said Bakura, smiling a little.

"That you did," said Marik. He brought his hand up to caress Bakura's cheek, and he looked into his eyes, finally comprehending the fullness of it- what Bakura had promised, and what he was willing to risk for his sake.

"Love you, Bakura."

"Rest, partner," said Bakura quietly, as he brushed Marik's hair away from his face and kissed his forehead. "I'll keep you warm like I used to."

Marik snuggled into him, and eventually, they slept.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events in this chapter are based on the anime episodes Showdown in the Shadows part 1 and 2 (Marik vs Bakura part 1 and 2.) The dialogue in this chapter is from the sub and dub dialogue in those episodes.

_You do everything for me_   
_Protect me from the shadows_   
_You hold me when I'm falling_   
_Chase all the bad dreams away_

_I'll die for you_   
_Let me die with you_

-Die With You by Blutengel  


* * *

When it was time to duel Marik's dark personality, Bakura walked up behind Marik's dark self, with Marik's soul floating beside him. Marik saw with horror that his dark self was about to kill Rishid.

"I'll have to step in now," said Bakura, and Marik's dark side turned to face him.

"Bakura," Marik's other personality said.

"Almost right," said Bakura. "I've got a companion with me. It's the real Marik."

"Yes, I've brought an old friend along to help me," Marik told his dark personality. "And I won't let you kill Rishid."

"And that Rod is rightfully mine," added Bakura. "Hand it over, or I'll kill you."

Bakura couldn't stand to see people using the Millennium items for their own purposes, but it was even worse seeing Marik's dark personality doing so- seeing an item used by someone who was trying to hurt Marik and his siblings.

Besides, if he could threaten Marik's dark personality into giving him the Rod, then he wouldn't be so much of a threat. If he had the Rod, then he could protect Marik and his family.

But Marik's dark personality wasn't about to give up the Rod that easily.

"Do you want me to kill you?" Marik's dark self asked the two.

"You can try," said Bakura. He had to be strong; not just for himself, but for Marik. "We're not afraid of you."

"Go to hell!" yelled Marik's dark personality, and then he used the power of the Millennium Rod to slam Bakura against the wall, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Bakura, I'll deal with you after I kill Rishid," said Marik's dark self.

"No," said Bakura, immediately using the power of the Millennium Ring to freeze Marik's dark personality in place, preventing him from killing Rishid.

Marik felt a wave of gratitude to Bakura for protecting his brother, and thanked him through their mind link.

"My chest...I can't move..." said Marik's dark side, obviously now in pain himself.

"Your power is nothing," said Bakura.

"It seems that you _are_ powerful," conceded Marik's dark personality, as Bakura released him from the hold of the Ring. "Maybe we should duel for the Rod."

But Bakura realized now that he couldn't just duel for the Rod. The Rod would not be enough- not enough to protect Marik and his family. It was obvious that Marik's dark personality was extremely dangerous to Marik and his family- Bakura would have to get rid of him, even if it meant risking himself. Even if it meant risking everything. He had no choice. So Bakura refused the offer.

"No," said Bakura. "Let's up the stakes."

And so Bakura suggested a dark game where the loser would be destroyed. Marik's dark personality agreed readily.

And then they headed to the top of the blimp to begin the duel.

"The only rule is that the loser will disappear," Marik's dark side reminded Bakura, once they were ready to begin the duel.

"Let's get on with it," said Bakura.

Bakura was obviously quite eager to start the duel and destroy Marik's dark self. Marik had never seen Bakura so eager to kill someone- usually, when Bakura killed, he did so dispassionately, accepting it simply as a necessary part of his quest. But this time...Bakura was angry, and he wanted to send Marik's dark side into oblivion.

But before the duel began, Bakura made a point of calling Marik "my partner" aloud. Had he done it to bring comfort to Marik? To remind him of what they were? If so, it worked...but only slightly. Marik was wired. Everything was on the line here. If he'd had nerves in his current state, every one of them would have been alight.

"Come on, Bakura," said Marik's dark self. "Let's start the duel."

But Marik had told Bakura earlier that he needed to talk to his dark personality before the duel, that he needed to confront him about what he'd done when he was a child. Despite Bakura's obvious eagerness to start, and despite the fact that Marik still hadn't told him exactly what this was all about, Bakura agreed to delay the duel so that Marik would have a chance to confront his dark side before they began.

"Wait a second," said Bakura to Marik's dark side. "Your real self has something to say to you."

So Marik spoke to his dark side, and as he did, he opened his mind completely to Bakura, finally allowing Bakura to know what he'd been hiding about his past- about the clan of the tomb keepers, the initiation he'd been forced to take, the creation of his dark side, and the killing of his father.

Marik had thought it would make him feel better to tell his dark personality that he knew the truth- that after   
taking the tomb keeper's initiation, his dark self had been created inside him, and it was his dark self who had later killed his father. But the confrontation only ended up making Marik feel worse, as his dark self pointed out that he wouldn't exist at all if it weren't for all the rage and hatred inside of Marik. The blame was equally shared between the two of them, his dark self told him.

Bakura had delayed the duel in order to allow Marik to talk to his dark side, in the hopes that it would make Marik feel better and give him strength, but Marik had even messed that up. Marik was mad at himself for his own weakness, and he was starting to hate himself more and more. But Marik had to try to be strong now and fight. He would do anything to destroy his dark personality, even if it meant coming to harm himself, in order to make up for all he'd done.

"I will help you with the strategy in this duel," Marik offered Bakura, in some attempt at assurance.

"Stop ordering me around, already!" snapped Bakura. "All I require is that you keep your promises."

Marik wasn't sure why Bakura suddenly seemed so annoyed with him, but he said, "As long as you can defeat him, I'll give you the Millennium Rod."

"That's not what I want to hear from you," said Bakura.

Marik's eyes widened in shock as he suddenly realized something- in opening his mind to Bakura and showing his past to him, he'd also let Bakura know that there was something else he'd been hiding. Bakura now knew that, in addition to possessing all seven of the Millennium items, he would also need to decipher the scars on Marik's back in order to unlock the door- the door that would raise a dark power that Marik himself didn't really understand. _That_ was why Bakura was so irritated with him- because he'd been keeping an important secret from him. Bakura had agreed to this duel before he knew that this information was on Marik's back, but now that he was aware of it, he wanted Marik's word that he would show him the scars.

"I promise you," said Marik without hesitation. He had been inside Bakura's mind as well, and understood his goals. Marik wanted to help him with those goals, and now he felt guilty that he'd kept his secret even this long.

But Bakura didn't seem angry at all anymore. He knew the whole truth now, and he was satisfied with Marik's promise.

"That's all I need to know. I'm going to kick his ass," Bakura said decisively, referring to Marik's dark self.

Bakura could have demanded that Marik reveal everything to him immediately, before the duel- that he show him the scars on his back, so that Bakura would know the final piece of information that he needed to open the door. But Bakura did not demand this- he trusted Marik's word completely. He was ready to begin.

Bakura faced Marik's other personality. "Your better half and I will send you into the darkness," Bakura told him.

And so the duel began.

Bakura was horrified to realize that as he lost life points, parts of his body actually faded away, and he cried out in surprise, momentarily confused as to what was going on. But Bakura wasted no time in pulling himself together and showing his trademark arrogance.

Shaking off his initial shock and disbelief, he said, "This will be fun."

There were many times during the duel when Bakura appeared scared or shocked, when he sweated or shook, yelling out denials when things didn't go his way. But he always quickly regained an air of supreme confidence. Marik wondered if Bakura was struggling hard to remain that confident in order to reassure him, so that Marik wouldn't feel worried. Marik only wished he could act as confident. But all he could do was attempt to help with the duel the best he could.

And there were ways he could help. Because of Bakura's mind link with Marik, Bakura knew that Marik's dark personality held the Ra card.

"I know how to deal with Ra," Marik told Bakura.

He told Bakura the information through their mind link, so that Marik's dark side couldn't hear them.

"If your strategy works and we defeat this demon, your body may be destroyed as well, Marik," Bakura warned, making   
sure that Marik was really alright with this.

"It's OK," said Marik. "Do it."

Through the mind link, Marik told Bakura that everything would be alright, as long as his dark side no longer existed as a threat to his family...and to his own soul.

So Bakura played his cards and managed to get Ra from Marik's dark self. Marik's dark personality handed the card over, but made fun of Bakura for being unable to duel without his friend- for Bakura couldn't read the symbols on the card of Ra, so he would only be able to use it with Marik's help. Marik and Bakura ignored him and focused on their strategy.

"You must summon Ra now!" Marik told Bakura.

"I told you to stop ordering me around!" snapped Bakura. Yet Bakura immediately summoned Ra anyways, trusting Marik's judgment.

Marik's dark self seemed unfazed. He activated a trap card which both added to his own life points, and reduced the attack power of Bakura's sacrificial monsters to zero. Because the monsters sacrificed to summon Ra now had no attack power, it meant that Ra had no attack power, either.

Bakura was very irritated with Marik for not warning him that this could happen, but he collected himself and kept on with the duel, determined to win. He didn't want Marik to be afraid.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Marik," said Bakura. "I'll send Ra to the graveyard. Then, even if your dark self gets it back, he won't be able to use it, because its attack power will still be zero."

Bakura then began sacrificing his own life points, which caused him to lose more parts of his form. His body was fading away bit by bit. Bakura had said earlier to trust him, but Marik didn't understand Bakura's strategy, and frankly, he was terrified. He had his own ideas about what strategy they should be using, but Bakura insisted on doing things his own way.

Marik had been grateful for Bakura's confidence earlier, but now, Bakura's arrogance was annoying him. He wasn't listening to any of Marik's advice anymore. Marik was starting to find it impossible to keep his temper in check. He was in jeopardy here as well as Bakura. Shouldn't he get some input?

Bakura was obviously annoyed with him as well. He and Bakura began fighting over strategy, yelling and snapping and glaring at each other - it was, on some level, the same tension that had bound them in the past and rendered them separate from everything else, as though the world consisted of just the two of them.

But now, in this dangerous situation, there was also a sense of panic in their words and in their glances. They had to win this duel. But _how_ was the question that hung uncertainly between them.

They were so absorbed in their fight that they were both startled when Marik's dark personality suddenly spoke to them.

"It's so sad when two such good friends can't work things out," Marik's dark self said. "Do you two want to split up?"

Marik was incensed. His dark self knew everything about him, so he knew how close he and Bakura really were, and he was taunting him with that. His dark personality was _happy_ that the stressful situation he'd put them in was making them fight with each other.

Things only got worse from there. Marik's dark personality managed to raise Ra from Bakura's graveyard. Then he began

saying an incantation to activate a special power of Ra- one Marik hadn't known about. Marik's dark self had to sacrifice all but one of his life points to activate Ra's special power, causing the majority of his body to fade away.

"What?" Bakura said in horror, his body shaking. "Marik's body is disappearing..."

Bakura was quite clearly upset by the sight of Marik's body disappearing, even though he had known that was what would happen if he were to win this duel.

But it was all to the advantage of Marik's alternate personality. He could now transfer his life points into the card of Ra, restoring its attack power.

"If I destroy you, Bakura, I can keep Marik's body forever," said Marik's dark personality.

"What?" asked Bakura, and he was trembling, terrified.

It was then that Marik realized that they couldn't win this duel. Before he knew it, Ra had attacked, and it was all over. His dark personality had won, and Bakura was fading away, being consumed by flames, his soul in the process of being banished. The fire then seared Marik's own soul, causing him to cry out in pain, not just for himself, but for what was happening to Bakura. Because of him. All of this was happening because of him.

As Bakura's form faded away in wisps of smoke, he spoke to Marik's dark personality.

"I'll come back, and I'll kill you, you bastard."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, this fic is following the manga timeline, which means the Noah and Doma arcs never happened. So this chapter finishes up the Battle City/Battle Ship arc and then goes straight into the Memory World arc.

As Bakura's soul burned away, he took comfort in the knowledge that a piece of Marik's soul was in Anzu, and that he'd sealed a piece of his own soul inside the Millennium Puzzle. Because of this, neither of them could be completely destroyed. As the last of his form faded away, everything went black.

He soon regained consciousness. He knew immediately that he was now inside the Puzzle, the larger part of his soul having been banished by Marik's alternate personality. He hoped that someone would manage to defeat Marik's dark side, allowing Marik to get back into his own body. And he hoped that he could somehow make it back to Marik. But inside the Puzzle, Bakura could do nothing. For the moment, he was powerless. So he waited, feeling helpless, not knowing what to do.

Eventually, he felt a pull. He didn't know exactly how long he had been in the Puzzle- it was hard to keep track of time in places like this- but it didn't seem like too long. Certainly not long compared to the amount of time he'd spent trapped inside the Ring. The pull brought his consciousness back to the larger part of his soul, which had apparently now come back into being. For only a moment, just when the two parts of his soul joined together again, he was able to see Marik and the Pharaoh standing across from each other. He realized that the Pharaoh must have defeated Marik's dark self- that was why Marik had his body back now, and why the larger part of Bakura's soul had been released. Of course, unlike Marik, Bakura had no body of his own to return to once his soul was released from the place where Marik's dark side had sent it. So he wasn't too surprised when things quickly went black for him again.

By the time that he regained awareness, he knew for certain that he had been sucked back into the darkness of the   
Ring. And so, inside the Ring, he waited yet again, hoping to be found. Would Ryou come for him? He needed to get out. Time was short- he could not allow Yugi to assemble all the Millennium items. He had to beat him to it.

* * *

  
Ryou's entire face lit up when he saw the Ring. He felt a stab of anger at Yugi for hiding the Ring here and not telling him where it was. But he'd found the Ring now...was it possible that Bakura's soul was still inside? He knew Bakura's soul had been consumed in his battle against Marik's dark side, but he thought he'd heard Bakura calling out to him somehow, leading him here...

He ran over and picked up the Ring, holding it before him and looking at it with affection. Then he immediately slipped the Ring over his head. And...yes! It _was_ the voice of the spirit! He was here!

"Wait," Ryou thought, knowing now that Bakura could hear him. "I don't want Yugi to know that I have the Ring. Wait until we're safe and alone."

Ryou shoved the Ring underneath his shirt, so that Yugi and the others wouldn't be able to see that he'd found it and now possessed it again. And then Ryou ran.

He made sure to get far away from Yugi and the others. Eventually, he believed he was safe, and only then did Ryou feel comfortable enough to retreat completely into his mind so that he could meet Bakura in his soul room. He hadn't wanted to have this conversation any other way- he wanted to be able to look at Bakura while they talked.

"Bakura! I finally found the Ring! But how did your spirit get back inside? I thought you might be..."

"I was able to survive because I sealed a piece of my soul inside the Puzzle. But I couldn't get out of there or do anything. Luckily, when Marik's dark personality was defeated, it freed my soul. But of course, that caused my soul to get sucked back into the Ring and I was trapped here again. I was hoping you'd find me," said Bakura.

"You know you can count on me," said Ryou.

Bakura looked at him a bit skeptically, but he didn't contradict Ryou's statement. Instead, he asked about Marik.

"Marik thinks you're dead, Bakura," answered Ryou. "Like I said, I thought you might be, too..."

"So where he is?" asked Bakura.

"He went back to Egypt," said Ryou. "Said something about trying to start a new life. Do you want to go to Egypt and let him know you're alive?"

"No," said Bakura. "The time to put my final plan into action is almost here. It shouldn't take long to complete. Once I've achieved what I set out to do, I can go and find Marik. But there's no reason to involve him now...I won't ask for his help. It seems he's been through enough recently. Besides, knowing him, he'd just screw something up. And I don't want you involving yourself, either."

"But Bakura, I want to help-" started Ryou.

"This is my vengeance quest, and mine alone," Bakura cut him off. "It's not yours any more than it is Marik's. It's not your responsibility to help me with this. You've done plenty. From here on, I go alone."

"But why?" asked Ryou. His eyes were large and round with worry.

Bakura shook his head with slight exasperation. Hadn't he just explained why? Yet he softened a bit as he looked at Ryou's worried expression. Finally, he said, "Because that's the way it's done."

"Alright...but...if you need me..." said Ryou quietly.

"I _won't_ ," said Bakura firmly.

Ryou held his tongue, but inside he knew that he would attempt to follow the spirit wherever he was going.

"Just don't forget that you can count on me," Ryou said stubbornly, as a final word on the subject. "But what is this plan of yours, anyways?"

"Best that you know as little as possible," said Bakura. "I admit that if I succeed, there will be...consequences...but I can take care of it. Once I get all the Millennium items and my revenge is taken, I'll make everything right again. Trust me."

Ryou was not entirely convinced, but he nodded anyways. He knew from long experience that there was no use in arguing with the spirit on the subject of his vengeance quest.

* * *

  
Bakura wasted no time in going to the memory world. Once there, he was forced to relive some of his worst memories as he saw his past self and the things that had happened near the end of his life.

The things he saw weren't all bad, though. He saw the rock slide that his enemies believed had killed him in the past, and commented snidely that his past self obviously wasn't dead yet, for if he'd died then, he wouldn't be here in the present now.

He was even able to go back to his old village and talk to the spirits that were still trapped there. They did not seem pleased that he was using a Millennium item, but he tried to reassure them. He told them he was doing what was necessary to get vengeance for all of them, and to ultimately free their souls.

However, the longer he was there, the more he could feel the pull of Zorc. The fact that a piece of Zorc's soul was sealed inside the Ring with him was a secret he'd kept from everyone. He himself sometimes wondered if it was wise to accept Zorc's help in completing his goals. But Zorc had promised him that if he succeeded in raising him, he would help him get vengeance, and the spirits of his murdered family and friends would finally be free. Once this goal was achieved, he could take care of Zorc. It wasn't as if he desired to live in a world of darkness- and that's how it would be if Zorc was allowed to rule.

But as the events in the memory world unfolded, he seemed to be controlled by Zorc more and more. Usually, he spoke in his own voice, as he recalled memories from his past and talked of the slaughter that had happened in his village. But sometimes, he- or rather, Ryou's body- spoke in Zorc's voice. Bakura realized that his own soul was connected to a fragment of Zorc's soul, and that it was affecting him. But there was nothing to be done about that now. He had started this, and he would finish it. As he witnessed the events of his past, pain stabbed at his heart. He had to get his revenge...it was all that mattered now.

He managed to raise Zorc and felt hope that he would succeed. But as it turned out, even raising Zorc was not enough to allow Bakura to defeat the Pharaoh. Despite his careful plans and strategic steps, the Pharaoh surprised him by putting up a formidable fight, and raising his own crushing offense. Bakura watched helplessly as each of his measured attempts fell short, and his single chance to avenge his village was lost.

The end came all too soon as Bakura watched Zorc, the dark and powerful demon that he was, fall to the Pharaoh's killing blow.

Bakura felt like he was being torn apart. As Zorc was vanquished, the last thing Bakura knew was searing pain and an overwhelming sense of confusion.

* * *

  
Back in Egypt, Marik sat alone, knowing nothing of these events. He had left Japan after getting his body back, and as far he knew, Bakura had been killed by his dark personality. And now his mind was tormenting him with memories of everything that had happened. Bakura was gone, his soul banished by Marik's own dark side. Another person in his life that his dark personality had killed. But this had been far worse than what had happened with his father. His dark side had killed his father for torturing his children. But Bakura had been killed because he'd been trying to help Marik- to save him and his family.

Marik still wondered if he'd made the right decision when he'd chosen to give the Millennium items to the Pharaoh and show him the carvings on his back. But he'd come to realize that the Pharaoh wasn't entirely bad...after all, he'd helped him in defeating his dark side. And ironically, it turned out that what the Pharaoh wanted to do wasn't so different from what Bakura had ultimately wanted to do. The Pharaoh wanted to collect the Millennium items so that he could put them in the tablet, and then seal them away, never to be used again. And isn't that what Bakura had always desired? For the Millennium items- the weapons made from the blood of his people- to never again be used to fulfill the selfish desires of their possessors?

Of course, if he'd believed that Bakura's soul was still in the Ring, he wouldn't have given it to the Pharaoh. But Bakura's soul had been banished. And Marik reasoned that it couldn't be in the Ring anymore- if it was, then Bakura's soul would have been able to control Marik's dark side while he was wearing the Ring.

Giving the Ring and the Rod to the Pharaoh had seemed like the best thing to do. Bakura wouldn't have wanted Marik to continue using the Rod for his own purposes. If the Pharaoh succeeded in sealing the items away forever- well, maybe that would have satisfied Bakura on some level. Marik hoped so.

And Rishid had wanted him to help the Pharaoh. Faithful Rishid, who had remained loyal to him even when he had treated him terribly and involved him in his murderous plots. Rishid had been able to let go of their past and to accept their duty, so shouldn't Marik be able to do the same?

It was because of Rishid's encouragement that Marik had found the will to live, and had finally been able to destroy his dark personality for good. When Marik had fought his dark personality with Bakura at his side, Marik had still had an inner strength. Despite the fact that he was already feeling guilty for some of the things he'd done, he'd had the will to fight, to try to defeat his dark personality and protect those he cared about. But after he'd watched his dark side kill Bakura, that strength had left him. He'd been consumed by guilt and felt no more will to fight or even to live. And because of that, he had almost allowed his dark personality to destroy him, thinking he might be better off dead. It was only Rishid's words that had convinced him to stand against his dark personality and destroy him once and for all. If not for Rishid, he would have let his dark side banish him and keep his body. He owed Rishid a lot.

And it wasn't only Rishid who wanted him to help the Pharaoh; Ishizu had wanted the same thing. She had given her Millennium Tauk to the Pharaoh. With Bakura gone, his sister and brother were all he had left in the world. If his actions made them happy...well, that was good, wasn't it?

Still, he felt conflicted. Maybe that was why he'd gone back to Egypt instead of joining the Pharaoh's little group and trying to aid them. He didn't hate the Pharaoh the way he used to, but he still couldn't bear the thought of being one of his little helpers. He wouldn't team up with the person that he- and Bakura- had been trying to kill for so long.

True, the Pharaoh wasn't all bad- but he wasn't all good, either. Marik wondered why people thought the Pharaoh was so great. He'd heard tales of some of the things that the Pharaoh had done- drawing innocent people into dark games for no good reason and then killing them, torturing them, or driving them insane. Bakura- and Marik himself- may have done some bad things, but certainly no worse than what the Pharaoh had done. And neither Bakura nor Marik had been crazy enough to burn people alive or destroy their minds, as the Pharaoh had. Of course, he and Bakura had killed, but there had always been a greater purpose- they had never gone around killing people for just the faintest ghost of a reason, the way he'd heard the Pharaoh had.

But still, the Pharaoh _did_ want to seal the Millennium items away forever. Maybe that was enough. It would have to be. At least it meant that the whole thing would be over...this whole thing that had started over 3,000 years ago, when he'd first heard of the plan to slaughter everyone in Bakura's village.

He wished Bakura had never shown him the memories from his past life. He wished he'd never met Bakura in this life. He wished Bakura hadn't tried to be so brave and heroic, risking his own life in an attempt to save Marik. Bakura was gone, and it was his fault. Bakura had been destroyed because he'd tried to help Marik, and it was Marik's own dark personality that had destroyed him.

He put his head in his hands and tugged at his hair. It was all his fault...

He had come back to Egypt to try to start a new life- to start over and forget about everything that had happened before. Yet he could do nothing but dwell on the past.

He wanted Bakura to be here. But he knew that was impossible. Bakura had said that he'd always come back and find him again, but that couldn't happen this time. He leaned his head back against the wall, closed his eyes, and remembered the way Bakura's skin had felt against his own.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts with the Ceremonial Duel arc and then goes post-series. Since the fic is now following the manga timeline, Marik hasn't seen Yugi-tachi between when he left for Egypt and the Ceremonial Duel.

Marik was surprised when Yugi and his friends showed up in Egypt and found him. His shock grew as they explained to him what had happened- Bakura had come back and managed to raise the evil entity Zorc. And then Yugi and his companions had destroyed Zorc, finally defeating Bakura and collecting all of the Millennium items.

Marik tried to keep his features blank as he regarded Yugi and his idiot friends. Bakura had been...alive? And nobody had told him? Well, of course nobody had told him. He'd been here in Egypt, feeling sorry for himself. And it hadn't really been very long since Marik had gotten his body back and returned here. And it was quite obvious that during his time in Egypt, everyone had had more important things to worry about than contacting him and letting him know what was going on.

Marik realized that they were still talking to him, and he returned his attention to the conversation as Yugi and his friends told him about the battle. They told him that Bakura was finally gone for good and would never be a threat to anyone again. They said this as if he should have been happy about that fact. Bakura had been alive, and he hadn't even known...and now Bakura really was gone. He tried to shove down the pain he felt. He'd already been assuming that Bakura was gone forever...nothing was really different now, was it?

Yugi and his friends continued talking, and eventually they asked Marik to take them to the place where the Ceremonial Duel was to be held. Marik knew exactly what the Ceremonial Duel meant. They would have to seal away the Millennium items, as they had planned, and then the items could never be used again. And if the duel went as it was supposed to, the Pharaoh would finally die and move on to the afterlife.

The Pharaoh...dead. Marik felt a jolt of happiness. Eliminating the Pharaoh was what he and Bakura had both wanted for so long. For once, Marik felt no qualms about helping Yugi and his friends. He was glad to lead them to the place where Yugi and the Pharaoh would conduct the duel that would finally end the Pharaoh's long life.

* * *

  
When Zorc was destroyed, Bakura had felt a ripping pain, and then the feeling of being flung off somewhere. After several moments of confusion, he eventually came to his senses and realized what had happened. Upon the destruction of Zorc, his soul had been cast aside. Now that Zorc was gone, his soul was no longer connected to the fragment of Zorc's soul that had been in the Ring with him.

His spirit floated there for a few moments, and then he felt a pull, one that he remembered feeling once before. Of course. Now that his soul was free again, he'd be drawn back into the Ring, just as he had when Marik's dark personality had been defeated.

Darkness enveloped him, and he knew that he was back in his familiar prison. What would happen to him now? Was it possible that Ryou would find him again? Where were the rest of the Millennium items? Did Yugi and his friends have them all? If so, what would they do with them?

He had no answers. All he could do was wait, alone in the blackness. Again.

* * *

  
Marik bid goodbye to Yugi and his friends. Yugi had won the duel, and that meant that the Pharaoh was well and truly dead. Finally. The entire place had actually collapsed, burying the now-powerless Millennium items. The Pharaoh was gone, and nobody would ever use the Millennium items again.

Once he was alone, Marik spoke aloud. "Bakura...if your soul still exists out there somewhere...I hope this brings you some peace."

He knew it was stupid and sentimental, but he couldn't keep himself from crying a little.

* * *

  
Suddenly, there was another pull, and then there was light. Bakura's spirit was outside the Ring, and he could see the world around him. What had happened? Why had he been released?

But then he saw it- hundreds of souls all around him, rising up into the firmament. He knew them. They were his people- the people from his village that had been killed so very long ago.

"What happened?" he asked them.

Calls of "We're free!" echoed all around him.

"But how?" Bakura asked, as he watched them ascend away from him, moving on to the afterlife.

"The Pharaoh has finally perished, and the items made from our deaths are buried and powerless!" an ethereal voice called.

The items were inactive now. That explained why Bakura had been released from the Ring- it no longer had any power.

"The Pharaoh is dead!" other voices called joyfully, as they continued to rise towards the heavens.

"Both Pharaohs are dead, and the father has opened the way to the afterlife for us!" they chorused. "Our tormentors have paid and live no more!"

"Thank you for all you tried to do for us, Bakura," a voice said.

"There are some things you shouldn't have- but no matter. You only wanted to free us," another voice said.

Bakura stared around in wonder, unable to speak.

"The items no longer have any power!" some other voices called in unison.

"We can be used no longer!"

"Finally free!"

Bakura listened as his people called out, and happiness coursed through him. This was all he had wanted...maybe he hadn't been able to achieve it by himself, but without his actions, it probably never would have happened at all.

He waited, expecting to rise along with his people and move into the afterlife. But it didn't happen. They all lifted away from him, continuing to call happily down to him, until they disappeared beyond the clouds.

Then, darkness again. But it was brief. Bakura opened his eyes. Was this it? Was he in the afterlife? But this didn't look like any kind of afterlife...this looked like Egypt. He looked down at himself. A body. The same body he'd had when he was last alive.

He stood up and felt the ground underneath his feet. Did he really have a physical body again? But...why?

He heard a new voice, this one sounding as if it was speaking from very far away. He recognized that voice...it was someone important...he searched his memory trying to place it.

"I cannot stay long, for I am being pulled towards my final destiny," the voice said. It was very faint. "But I will explain what has happened, brother. You never died a natural death- your body has never died- so you cannot go to the afterlife yet. You are alive. So now you may live out your life. May it be filled with happiness until you depart from this world in the natural way. We'll be waiting for you..." The voice of his sister faded out and was gone.

Bakura stood in shock, his eyes wide.

Then, suddenly, he felt lighter than he could ever remember feeling in all his many years of existence. His vengeance quest was over- there was no more he needed to do. The Pharaoh was dead, the Millennium items were inactive, and the spirits of the people from his village were finally at rest. His soul was no longer merged with Zorc's. He was completely himself again, and he had his own body. He now felt free of his past, for justice had been done, even if it hadn't happened in the way he had expected it. All his bitterness and anger fell away from him, and was replaced by a sense of peace.

For a while, he simply stood, face turned to the sky, and enjoyed the feeling. And then he thought of Marik. And that made him realize that there was something he needed to do. Something he should have done a long time ago. And now, now that he was free of all his past burdens, he finally could.

Ryou had said that Marik was living in Egypt...hopefully he was still here. Ryou...he would want to find him eventually, as well. Ryou had been like a brother to him, he suddenly realized. He had a lot for which to thank Ryou. And he would. But first, he wanted to go to Marik.

And so he set off to find him.

* * *

  
Marik heard the door open. He jumped up from where he'd been sitting and turned to see who had entered- and came face to face with Bakura.

"Bakura...you're..."

Marik looked stunned for a moment, unable to believe his own eyes. He took a few steps forward as Bakura drew near.

"I told you I'd always find my way back to you," Bakura said with a lopsided smile.

Marik threw himself into Bakura's arms. Bakura returned the embrace, then pulled back a little to look Marik in the eyes.

"I needed to tell you..." started Bakura. He paused briefly, a soft look coming over his face as he prepared to finally say the words that he had never been able to say before. "I love you, Marik."

Marik's eyes were shining with tears as he pulled Bakura into a tight hug.

"Where have you been, partner?" Marik whispered. "Tell me the tales of your adventures."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously, they lived happily ever after.
> 
> Alright, so that's the end! Thanks to Taemanaku for being my beta throughout this fic, and for co-writing chapter 13 with me! Also thanks to Lady Blackwell, who was a secondary beta for chapters 11, 12 and 13! And thanks to SuperSteffy, who did a beta on every chapter of this fic after it was posted!
> 
> And thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, or reviewed! Reading all your reviews has really made me happy. I hope you enjoyed the ending, and the fic overall. If you get a chance, please review and let me know your thoughts! And if you've made it this far, and you enjoyed the fic, please favorite!

**Author's Note:**

> Other works based on this fic:
> 
> [We Should Be Partners AMV by DrawYourCard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ncliQ8pTKk)
> 
> Fanart based on this fic:
> 
> [We Should Be Partners Fanart by Midknight](http://chaosrocket.tumblr.com/post/160934939179/)
> 
> [We Should Be Partners Fanart by Doomgirl333](http://doomgirl333.deviantart.com/art/We-Should-Be-Partners-395718407)
> 
> [We Should Be Partners Fanart by Taemanaku](http://taemanaku.deviantart.com/gallery/26959578#/d35nmq9)


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